After Twitter accepted billionaire Elon Musk’s bid for the firm, the White House raised concerns about social media platforms earlier this week.
“The president has been concerned for a long time about the impact that huge social media platforms have on our daily lives, no matter who owns or runs Twitter,” White House press sec. Jen Psaki said in the daily briefing.
Peksi said she was not in a position to comment on the purchase itself, but she did talk about the president’s views on social media.
“Our worries are not new,” Durbin said. “We’ve been talking about it for a long time, and the president has spoken out against the power of social media sites like Twitter and others to spread misinformation.”
Earlier this week, Twitter announced its agreement with Musk to sell him the business for $54.29 per share.
“Free speech is the basis of a functioning democratic nation, and Twitter is the online town square where critical topics affecting humanity are discussed,” Musk said in a comment announcing the collaboration.
Biden has a long-standing hatred for Twitter, particularly as President Donald Trump has used it to savage his political rivals.
Psaki said social media websites had a responsibility to take their part in the public square seriously, but that the Biden team would not comment on Musk’s intentions for the platform at this time.
“We don’t know what the policies will be at this point,” she said.
Despite the planned sale of Twitter and a possible change in ownership, Psaki said the White House would likely continue to interact with Twitter on problems of misinformation.
“I believe we interact with all social media sites on a regular basis,” she added. “There are also changes that Congress could take.”
“Legislative changes supported by the president include greater transparency, anti-trust measures, and reform of Section 230,” she said.
