Elon Musk abuses free speech. Courtesy | Wikimedia Commons

Before buying Twitter, Elon Musk promised to reform its free speech policies. Now he faces a lawsuit from Tesla shareholders for a 2018 tweet that they claim manipulated millions of stocks for his own benefit. 

Over the last several years, free speech has adapted to modern social media platforms and taken on new meaning. Musk treats freedom of speech as freedom from consequences, giving him the power to say what he wants, no matter the financial effects. 

Freedom of speech is not an invitation to weaponize social media influence, it’s the opportunity to safely express yourself beyond social media. And just like free speech in real life, free speech online is regulated when it has serious consequences. 

Just as you cannot yell “fire!” in a building without repercussions, so Musk cannot tweet negative or positive things about his multi-billion-dollar public company to lower Tesla’s stocks without repercussions. His speech affects more than him, it affects the millions of stockholders counting on Tesla’s price to stay high. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission fined Musk $20 million for that very reason. 

But Musk’s behavior does more than affect the finances of millions of people, it also blurs the line between free speech in public and free speech on a social media platform. By claiming that Twitter banning high-profile users or blocking certain topics violates free speech, he implies that people should be as free on social media as they are in a public forum, vindicating his irresponsible tweets. 

Conservatives, eager to rally against regulation while preaching free speech, follow along with Musk’s rhetoric. So long as left-wing voices criticize Musk, right-wing voices will give him credibility. 

Free speech comes with responsibility. It must be regulated to keep free speech from financially or physically putting someone in danger. Musk’s arguments for free speech only serve to support his own abuses of Twitter.