Hate speech has risen on Twitter since Elon Musk took over, online safety campaigners have said.
The billionaire claimed hate speech had declined since he bought the site in late October, but research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said that was “misleading”.
The number of tweets containing racist and other hateful terms has in fact increased substantially, it said.
CCDH chief executive Imran Ahmed said: “Elon Musk has again been exposed as misleading users and advertisers, claiming mission accomplished despite his clear failure to meet his own self-proclaimed standards to clamp down on vicious bigotry.
“Community standards ensure users feel welcome and advertisers’ brands are safe.
“Advertisers can either enable Mr Musk’s gaslighting, or send a message and stop their marketing dollars enabling the spread of deadly hate.
“It’s time for advertisers to do their bit to counter hate in our societies.”
The data showed that tweets containing a derogatory term for black people were being posted at triple the rate compared to the period before Mr Musk’s takeover.
And tweets containing other racist, homophobic and transphobic terms were also being posted more regularly.
The group analysed tweets from the month preceding Mr Musk’s takeover and compared them with posts in the week leading up to his tweet about hate speech impressions.
The CCDH said Mr Musk’s focus on tweet impressions was obscuring the fact that the number of hateful tweets being hosted by Twitter was actually rising, which it said was a failure to enforce platform community standards.
Big year for Elon Musk as he closes $44bn Twitter deal — in pictures
Before his takeover, the billionaire businessman said he believed Twitter should allow more free speech and that he would loosen content moderation to enable this to happen.
Mr Musk allowed some previously suspended accounts to return, but has now suspended the account of rapper Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — after he posted an image that appeared to show a symbol combining a swastika and a Jewish Star of David.
Mr Musk said the US rapper had breached rules against incitement to violence.
Some companies have already paused advertising, which for the vast majority of Twitter’s revenue, over concerns about Mr Musk’s approach.
The billionaire recently declared war on iPhone maker Apple's app store, over what he later said was a “misunderstanding”.
Mr Musk met with Apple chief Tim Cook on Wednesday to “resolve” the issue.
"Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store," Musk tweeted.
"Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so."
Mr Musk also tweeted a video clip of "Apple's beautiful HQ" in Cupertino, California, noting that he had a good conversation with Mr Cook.
The Tesla and SpaceX boss has already begun looking for ways to diversify Twitter’s income stream by starting to charge a monthly subscription fee to verify users on the site through its Twitter Blue service.
That roll-out is currently on pause after some bad actors used their verified status to pose as public figures and businesses on the site, in what former head of safety and security Yoel Roth referred to as "a disaster."
Since taking over Twitter last month, Mr Musk has cut about half of Twitter's workforce, including many employees tasked with fighting disinformation, while an unknown number have quit.
He has also reinstated previously banned accounts, including that of former US president Donald Trump.
Describing himself as a "free speech absolutist," Mr Musk has said he believes that all content permitted by law should be allowed on Twitter, describing his actions as a "revolution against online censorship in America."
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
FIXTURES
Saturday, November 3
Japan v New Zealand
Wales v Scotland
England v South Africa
Ireland v Italy
Saturday, November 10
Italy v Georgia
Scotland v Fiji
England v New Zealand
Wales v Australia
Ireland v Argentina
France v South Africa
Saturday, November 17
Italy v Australia
Wales v Tonga
England v Japan
Scotland v South Africa
Ireland v New Zealand
Saturday, November 24
|Italy v New Zealand
Scotland v Argentina
England v Australia
Wales v South Africa
Ireland v United States
France v Fiji
Company%C2%A0profile
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The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Sweet%20Tooth
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
