Elon Musk says Twitter will form a “moderation board” before reinstating banned accounts

Twitter won’t be in a rush to make major content policy changes now that Elon Musk owns the company. Musk has announced that the social network will form a moderation board with members who have “widely differing viewpoints.” There won’t be any “major” decisions about content or overturning bans until that board meets, the entrepreneur says.

Musk did not name members of the council, nor did he provide a timeline for the creation of the council. We’ve asked Twitter if it can comment on the strategy or provide additional details, and we’ll let you know if we hear more.

Tesla’s boss has promised to make major changes to Twitter’s moderation policy, such as easing general rules and limiting permanent bans to people like Donald Trump. However, the board’s plans indicate that Musk may take some time to implement a new approach and may delegate at least some of the responsibility. He recently tried to reassure advertisers that Twitter won’t become a “free-for-all hellscape” where ads go hand in hand with appalling posts.

That doesn’t mean Musk avoids all quick decisions. He has already fired multiple executives, including policy chief Vijaya Gade. Musk has reportedly informed rank-and-file staff that he won’t be laying off as many people as feared, but is still expected to cut jobs in relatively short order. Tesla engineers are believed to be helping with a code review that could lead to technical revisions.

If and when the advice arrives, critics will be watching it closely. Conservatives have long accused Twitter of silencing right-wing viewpoints and have gone so far as to introduce state laws forcing the social network to carry more content. However, others rejected the claims and argued that strong moderation was needed to prevent hate speech and misinformation from entering. The moderation panel theoretically addresses both sides of the debate, but its effectiveness is far from established at this stage.