Sheldon Cooper | Lightrocket | Getty Images Users banned from Twitter for violating its rules, a group that includes former President Donald Trump, won’t have a chance to return to the platform for at least another few weeks, the company’s new owner Elon Musk said in a tweet on Wednesday. Musk said the delay would give Twitter time to create a process for determining when and how blocked users can return. Musk said he does not believe in permanent bans and called it a “mistake” to permanently suspend Trump in the wake of the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Twitter said at the time it made the decision “due to the risk of further inciting violence.” Musk floated the idea of a content oversight board shortly after closing his $44 billion deal to acquire the company — which came after a legal battle where he tried to get out of it. He said late last month that Twitter would not make any decision on reinstating accounts until the board convened. On Wednesday, Musk gave more details about the planned council, saying on Twitter that it “will include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups dealing with hate-fueled violence.” Musk also said he had spoken with civil society leaders from organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, Free Press and Color of Change, “about how Twitter will continue to fight hate and harassment and enforce the his policies on electoral integrity”. Twitter will hold its first major US election under its new ownership on November 8. Free Press CEO Jessica J. Gonzalez said in a statement that the conversation with Musk was “productive.” Gonzalez said Musk promised not to reinstate accounts that violated Twitter’s trust and safety rules before Tuesday’s midterm elections and that the process for re-platforming accounts would be transparent. Musk also agreed to maintain Twitter’s election integrity measures and told the team that staff tasked with those tasks would have access to the necessary tools by the end of the week, according to Gonzalez. Musk has also pledged to consult with experts on political and human rights issues targeted on the internet while developing new content moderation standards, Gonzalez said. Facebook owner Meta already has a similar body that helps adjudicate and advise on the toughest content moderation questions, including how the platform should approach Trump’s ban. Musk sought to reassure advertisers on Thursday that Twitter would not turn into a “free-for-all hell where anything can be said without consequence!” The statement pushed back fears some progressives have expressed that Twitter would be inundated with hate speech and misinformation under Musk, who has previously said he would back away from content moderation. Advertising giant Interpublic Group on Tuesday advised all IPG Media Brands agency clients to suspend all paid advertising on Twitter for at least a week to await clarity on the company’s plans for trust and security. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. BEWARE: The messy business of content moderation on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
