>But the "free speech absolutists" who used to bark about this are nowhere to be seen. It's pretty easy to see Elon Musk, who literally and often declares hims

>But the "free speech absolutists" who used to bark about this are nowhere to be seen. It's pretty easy to see Elon Musk, who literally and often declares himself a “free speech absolutist”, even if it doesn't match his actions. How ‘free speech absolutist’ Elon Musk would transform Twitter: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/14/how-free-speech-absolutist-elon-musk-would-transform-twitter https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/14/how-free-... >Change is on the cards if he succeeds. Musk said in a letter to the board on Thursday that Twitter is “the platform for free speech around the world” but cannot achieve this “societal imperative” in its current form and “needs to be transformed as a private company”. >His main concern appears to be with Twitter’s moderation policies. In March he tweeted a poll asking users whether the site adhered to the principle of free speech. “Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy,” he said. “What should be done?” He has declared himself a “free speech absolutist” and, in that context, the Twitter-banned former US president Donald Trump must be hoping Musk’s bid succeeds. Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/technology/twitter-hate-speech.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/technology/twitter-hate-s... >Mr. Musk, who did not respond to a request for comment, has been vocal about being a “free speech absolutist” who believes in unfettered discussions online. He has moved swiftly to overhaul Twitter’s practices, allowing former President Donald J. Trump — who was barred for tweets that could incite violence — to return. Last week, Mr. Musk proposed a widespread amnesty for accounts that Twitter’s previous leadership had suspended. And on Tuesday, he ended enforcement of a policy against Covid misinformation. Elon Musk, Free Speech Absolutist, Is Silent About His Saudi Partners: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/10/elon-musk-free-speech-absolutist-is-silent-about-his-saudi-partners/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/10/elon-musk-free-... >Elon Musk is a self-declared “free-speech absolutist” who might let Donald Trump and various Nazis return to action on Twitter. “The bird is freed,” he triumphantly tweeted to his approximately 112 million followers when he officially took over one of the most popular social media sites on Thursday. Musk’s idea of open debate apparently entailed his trolling Hillary Clinton Sunday by tweeting a reply to her with a fake news story positing a made-up theory about the recent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul. [...] >Saudi Arabia’s rulers are emphatically not free-speech absolutists. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is an autocrat who in 2018 approved the kidnapping and assassination of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to US intelligence. MBS, as he is known, has since continued to repress speech at home, regularly imprisoning his critics.