Musk says Twitter 'hate speech' definitions are the same as before his takeover

Billionaire and new Twitter owner Elon Musk on Thursday revealed that he is using Twitter's long-standing definitions of "hate speech" in assessing the levels of that activity on the social media platform. 

Musk in a Wednesday tweet had boasted that "hate speech impressions" were "down by 1/3" from the period just prior to his successful takeover of the company. 

Asked by commentator Jordan Peterson how Musk was defining "hate speech" for those metrics, Musk responded that he was using "the same list of terms that Twitter has used for some time."

"Hate speech" has been a long-standing and divisive topic on Twitter, with many users complaining that Twitter's moderators have been too aggressive in their policing of controversial content or statements.

Musk launched his takeover of Twitter in large part as a response to those policies; since his acquisition of the company the magnate has liberated multiple accounts from suspension, including those of Peterson and the conservative Christian satire site the Babylon Bee.