Israel’s Netanyahu urges Musk to balance freedom of expression and fighting hate on X
By Sheila Dang and Ari Rabinovitch
September 18 (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Musk’s social media platforms.
Earlier this month, Musk attacked the Anti-Defamation League, alleging that the nonprofit that works to fight anti-Semitism has primarily contributed to US advertising revenues in X, without providing evidence. There has been a reduction of 60%.
Musk bought the platform, then known as Twitter, in October.
Musk had previously joined a conversation on Needed
“I hope that you will find within the scope of the First Amendment the ability to prevent not only anti-Semitism… but also any collective hatred toward people,” Netanyahu said during the meeting. ,
“I know you are committed to this… but I encourage and urge you to find a balance,” Netanyahu said.
Musk responded by saying that he is against anti-Semitism and against anything that “promotes hatred and conflict”, reiterating his previous statements that X would not promote hate speech.
Musk has said that No” will be said.
The billionaire, who also runs Tesla and SpaceX, noted that he got more feedback from Tesla employees about the meeting with Netanyahu than “anything I’ve ever done.”
Netanyahu and his nationalist-religious coalition are trying to limit some of the powers of the Israeli Supreme Court, arguing that it is necessary to prevent political overreach by unelected judges.
Opponents say the changes could encourage corruption and abuses of power by removing effective oversight, and the issue has divided Israeli society and raised concerns over Israel’s democratic health.
About 200 people protesting the judicial change gathered outside Tesla’s California factory, where the event was held.
Musk and Netanyahu also discussed how to harness the benefits of rapid advances in artificial intelligence while limiting risks to society, a concern Musk and others in the tech industry have raised in recent months. .
“Today we stand at a turning point for all of humanity, where we have to choose between a blessing and a curse,” Netanyahu said. He said AI could advance medicine but could pose risks such as disrupting democracy.
Israel is considered a world-leader in AI thanks to its growing computing and robotics industries, attracting talent to develop into a technologically advanced conscript army.
Foreign investment in Israeli tech startups has declined over the past year, partly due to the global recession and fueled by investors’ fears that pressure to reduce the Supreme Court’s powers would remove a vital check and balance.
The shekel has weakened more than 8% against the dollar this year, with foreign inflows falling sharply. (Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas, Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Howard Goller)
Source: finance.yahoo.com