Is the transfer of Twitter power good news for Trump and researchers?

Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, has repeated his desire for Twitter to become a digital ‘public square’. But how he goes about this in the next few months will show if his actions align with those promises. ISD Senior Analyst Katherine Keneally joins Bloomberg’s ‘Sound On’ speaking about what Musk’s supporters are expecting, algorithmic transparency and what could happen if Trump’s account is reinstated.

Speaking on increasing algorithmic transparency and addressing inauthentic activity, issues Musk has pointed out in recent months, she said, “The reason why it should be made public, [is that] without that information, we do not know what makes us vulnerable to online manipulation be it misinformation, disinformation, hate content. And without that algorithmic access, we really don’t know how it works and because we don’t know how it works, we can’t protect vulnerable users on the platform.” Musk is said to be considering creating a so-called content moderation council.

Noting that Tesla competitor GM pulled its own ads from Twitter, Bloomberg Correspondent Joe Mathieu asked Katherine if Musk will attempt to make the platform a buzzworthy property and how Trump’s possible presence could affect that.

Katherine said she “certainly would be considering whether advertisers will want to remain on the platform should Trump be brought back on.”

Katherine’s interview begins at minute 27:00.