UK lawmakers have invitedincoming owner of TwitterElon Musk to testify in front of a parliamentary committee about his plans for the social media company.
Member of Parliament and Chair of Parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Julian Knight issued the invite inan open letteron Wednesday.
The committee, which scrutinizes policy making around social media, among other topics, wants to discuss Musk’s proposed acquisition of Twitter and the changes he plans to make.
In his letter, Knight listed as topics for discussion including Musk’s intention to roll out verification for all users, greater transparency around bots and spam accounts, and the need to balance civil liberties like freedom of expression with tackling online harms
Musk, who already runs Tesla and SpaceX, will have his hands full with his new acquisition, which was announced at the end of April.
Twitter’s decision to accept his bid has resulted in a wide range of reactions, from celebration to despair.
But above all else, most Twitter users have been asking what Musk’s ownership will mean for the future of the social media company.
While he has floated some ideas, we’ll have to wait until his takeover is complete to understand the full implications, assuming the deal gets final approval from shareholders.
See more on Elon Musk and Twitter
In his letter, Knight suggested that speaking with UK lawmakers would provide an opportunity for Musk to address any critiques of the takeover in a public forum (although one could argue he’s been doing this daily on Twitter since the deal was announced).
We’ve invited@ElonMuskto discuss the future of@Twitterin Parliament.Chair@JulianKnight15: “Appearing before the Committee will give Mr Musk an ideal opportunity to set out his proposals in more depth and we would look forward to welcoming him.
:https://t.co/HpYduMAcZYpic.twitter.com/UTU2wu1jnV
“At a time when social media companies face the prospect of tighter regulations around the world, we’re keen to learn more about how Mr Musk will balance his clear commitment to free speech with new obligations to protect Twitter’s users from online harms,” said Knight in a statement.
“Appearing before the committee will give Mr Musk an ideal opportunity to set out his proposals for Twitter in more depth and we would look forward to welcoming him.”
Musk has yet to respond to the invitation publicly, so it’s unclear whether he’ll make an appearance in front of the committee – or whether, like fellow tech leader Mark Zuckerberg, hewill dodge any attempts to pin him down for questioningat all costs.
