Elon Musk Says He’s ‘Fixing’ Certain Words That Allegedly Demonetize Posts After Right-Wing Users Complain

Forbes Business Elon Musk Says He’s ‘Fixing’ Certain Words That Allegedly Demonetize Posts After Right-Wing Users Complain Conor Murray Forbes Staff I’m an explainers and trends reporter for Forbes. Following Sep 29, 2023, 05:19pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Right-wing X users, including Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik, alleged certain words—like trans, LGBTQ and drag queen—would demonetize posts by automatically blocking ads from showing up in the replies, catching the attention of Elon Musk, who says he’s fixing the apparent issue. Musk said he would “fix” demonetization of certain words, which some users alleged included “trans” .

. . [+] and “LGBTQ.

” (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Key Facts Raichik tested in a series of posts Thursday whether advertisements would display in the replies of posts that contain certain words that may be politically divisive, like transgender, nonbinary and police. Raichik posted a full list of words that she alleged demonetized her posts, which also included drag queen, porn, groomer, innocent, LGBTQ, police, ugly and amen. Musk appeared to confirm these words did demonetize posts in a response to Raichik, stating the list of words that demonetizes tweets is “vestigial.

” In an X Space with conservative pundit Ben Shapiro on Thursday, Musk said he saw Raichik’s list of allegedly demonetized words and stated the list needed to be trimmed. Musk also stated in a separate response to right-wing X user Ian Miles Cheong he is “fixing” the demonetization of trans, transgender and ugly. Raichik posted Friday celebrating that many words appeared to have been re-monetized, and Musk thanked her for raising the issue in a response.

Creators that meet the minimum requirements —a subscription to X Premium or Verified Organization, at least 5 million organic impressions on tweets within the past 3 months and at least 500 followers—can share revenue from advertisements displayed in replies to content they post on X. Key Background Musk has long stated his goal is to make X, formerly known as Twitter, a haven for free speech. Musk, who considers himself a “free speech absolutist,” has said he purchased the social media platform to create a forum where “a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.

” Under his leadership, X has adopted a “freedom of speech, not reach” policy, by which posts that violate the platform’s rules may have their reach limited, but will not be taken down. Since Musk—who frequently uses X for political purposes, like criticizing “wokeness”—took over the platform, some studies have indicated hate speech has risen on the social media site. Right-wing users, like Raichik, have praised Musk’s leadership and thanked him for prioritizing free speech.

After Musk said he would fix words that allegedly demonetized posts, Raichik called him the “greatest free speech warrior in modern history,” praising him for being responsive to the issues she raised. Chief Critics Critics say Musk’s actions have contradicted his purported free speech goals. In December, the accounts of several journalists who wrote about Musk were abruptly suspended , along with the account of rival social media platform Mastodon, and he accused them of sharing information about his whereabouts (the accounts were soon reinstated ).

Jewish leaders have also accused Musk of enabling antisemitism on the platform, such as by reinstating previously banned accounts associated with neo-Nazi and antisemitic movements, though Musk has denied X has an antisemitism problem. Tangent Some right-wing users have complained of demonetization on platforms like YouTube and have generally gravitated toward sites that tout their so-called free speech policies, like X and Rumble. YouTube most recently came under fire from some conservatives after it demonetized Russell Brand’s channel amid his sexual assault allegations .

Rumble slammed a request from British lawmakers to demonetize Brand, who has recently endeared himself to the far-right by promoting baseless conspiracy theories surrounding Covid and the 2020 presidential election results, as a “disturbing” demand from the “cancel culture mob. ” YouTube also demonetized right-wing personality Matt Walsh in April, reportedly because of disparaging comments and rants made against trans social media star Dylan Mulvaney following her brief partnership with Bud Light, which the social media platform said violated its Partner Program policies. Surprising Fact Musk declared in a June post that “cisgender”—a term for people who identify with their assigned sex at birth—would be treated as a slur on X, and repeated harassment using the word would result in, at minimum, temporary suspensions.

Forbes Valuation $252. 6 billion. That’s Musk’s estimated net worth as of Friday afternoon, making him the richest person in the world.

Further Reading X officially rolls out its ads revenue sharing program for creators (The Verge) Elon Musk, Self-Proclaimed “Free Speech Absolutist,” Says Twitter Will Treat “Cisgender” as a Slur (Vanity Fair) Follow me on Twitter . Send me a secure tip . Conor Murray Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.