The controversial Infowars host Alex Jones has been reinstated on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, now named X, thanks to a poll conducted by new owner, billionaire Elon Musk.
After purchasing the platform in October of 2022, Musk has been adamant about restoring freedom of speech on X. In a recent move, Musk cited a poll on the platform, which showed that 70.1% of respondents agreed with bringing back Jones. “Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk wrote, emphasizing the Latin saying meaning the voice of the people is the voice of God.
“The people have spoken and so it shall be,” Musk added early Sunday, following more than 1.9 million votes on the poll.
Shortly after, Jones’ account, @RealAlexJones, was visible again, with more than 821,000 followers as of Sunday morning. This account was previously banned from Twitter in September of 2018, which also resulted in Jones’ personal account losing around 900,000 followers and his show, Infowars, losing around 430,000.
In 2018, the former CEO, Jack Dorsey, permanently banned Jones from the platform, citing a video that violated the company’s policy for abusive behavior. This decision was made just a day after Dorsey testified before Congress about potential bias against conservatives on the platform. Jones had shared a video of himself yelling at CNN journalist Oliver Darcy during the congressional hearings.
Musk’s takeover of Twitter has sparked controversy, as the platform previously rarely banned anyone not associated with former President Trump. International despots and terrorist groups were among those allowed to remain on the platform, but Jones was deemed unfit.
In response to a user’s post claiming that permanent account bans are against free speech, Musk wrote, “I find it hard to disagree with this point.” He also assured users that the crowd-sourced fact-checking service, Community Notes, will respond quickly to any inaccuracies in Jones’ posts.
Jones’ reinstatement comes after years of legal battles, in which he was ordered to pay victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting almost $1 billion for spreading lies about the 2012 massacre. Jones had previously claimed that the shooting never happened and was staged to tighten gun laws. The victims’ families testified in court about the harassment they faced from Jones’ followers, who accused them of being “crisis actors” and made threats against their lives.
Musk has previously refused to allow Jones back on the platform, stating that he would not tolerate anyone using the deaths of children for gain, politics, or fame. However, after purchasing the platform, Musk has granted “amnesty” to suspended accounts and has since reinstated not only Jones, but also Trump, Ye, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was kicked off the platform for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.
Jones’ return to X comes at a time when Musk is facing backlash from advertisers, with big brands such as Disney and IBM pulling their ads from the platform. Media Matters, a liberal advocacy group, had accused X of hosting pro-Nazi and white nationalist content, and Musk himself was accused of promoting an antisemitic conspiracy theory. However, Musk apologized and even visited Israel, where he held talks with top leaders and visited a kibbutz that had been attacked by Hamas terrorists.
Despite the controversies surrounding his decisions, Musk remains determined to restore free speech on X and has even criticized companies who have attempted to boycott the platform. With the reinstatement of Jones, it seems that Musk is staying true to his word and making controversial moves in the name of free speech.
