On Twitter's content moderation policy, Elon Musk's new 'clarification'

After months of legal battle, Musk finally took over the social media network on Thursday.

Twitter boss Elon Musk clarified on Saturday that the social media giant has not yet made any changes to the platform's content moderation policies - a bone of contention since he acquired the social media giant in a $44 billion deal.

Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration.(REUTERS)

This came hours after he said in a tweet that "Twitter will be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints", and "no major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes". In another tweet later, Musk said: "To be super clear, we have not yet made any changes to Twitter’s content moderation policies."

There is speculation that Musk is looking to do away with permanent bans on Twitter users as he had previously indicated that he felt the platform's content moderation standards were too strict and that he didn’t believe in lifetime bans. However, his latest comments could mean that accounts of high-profile personalities who were blocked from the site, including former US President Donald Trump, might not be allowed back on immediately and that the decision will be taken after the content moderation council is created.

While Twitter's new owner has maintained he wants to ensure “free speech” on the platform, many believe his initiatives threaten to undo Twitter's efforts to reduce bullying and abuse on the platform, prompting concerns that dialogue on the platform may deteriorate.

After months of legal battle, Musk finally took over the social media network on Friday. He began by sacking several top Twitter executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal. "The bird is freed," he had tweeted in an apparent reference to the completion of the takeover and that he desires to see fewer limits on the content posted.