(BPRW) Color Of Change: Irresponsible Blue Check Rollout Will Result in Unmitigated Attacks on Democracy, Users
(Black PR Wire) NATIONWIDE – Recently, following the launch of Twitter’s new Blue Check subscription system, Color Of Change President Rashad Robinson released the following statement:
“In less than one month of owning Twitter, Elon Musk has destabilized what is already one of the most volatile social media platforms. As Elon continues to subject millions of users to a beta-testing process, he’s content to also undermine our democracy during an especially sensitive period. By rolling out a new subscription service with a separate, confusing verification process, Musk has opened the floodgates for content misinformation and manipulative tactics by bad actors.
We warned the leaders of social media companies during the 2020 election cycle that their failure to address misinformation and the growing presence of far-right extremists across their platforms would result in insidious lies and violence.
Yet, with several midterm elections still undecided, Musk has failed to convey the value in making such a hasty decision now, illustrating our long-standing critique — when left to their own devices and without regulation, tech companies will prioritize profits over people.
There is, though, one silver lining in Musk’s stream of tweets on the company’s policies. In stating that accounts impersonating individuals would be permanently banned, Musk has also provided precedent for far-right extremists who spread misinformation, like former President Trump, to remain off the platform. We intend to hold him to his word.
Color Of Change will continue to mobilize our members and allies to maintain pressure on Twitter until the demands laid out for Elon Musk (and his remaining advertisers) are met, including: implementing a robust and transparent content moderation system, restoring full access to internal content moderation tools to the Trust & Safety team, conducting a full third-party evaluation of Twitter products for discrimination and civil rights violations, and more. Until these demands are met, Twitter will only remain a threat to the digital ecosystem, Black users, and our democracy.”
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About Color Of Change:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.
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