'N-word' usage on Twitter spikes 500% after Musk's takeover

Musk has said that there will be a panel to handle decisions involving content moderation on Twitter.

The use of the N-word on Twitter, a racist term used against black people, increased by almost 500% after Elon Musk's acquisition of the platform.

An analysis by the Network Contagion Research Institute found that most of the tweets using the N-word were from anonymous trolls.

"I can freely express how much I hate n*****s ... now, thank you elon [sic]," wrote an anonymous Twitter user. Another tweeted: "Elon now controls Twitter. Unleash the racial slurs. K***S AND N*****S."

Twitter's head of safety and integrity, Yoel Roth, has put the blame for this sudden rise on a "trolling campaign." He said that most of these hateful tweets had come from just 300 accounts, nearly all of which were "inauthentic."

Nearly all of these accounts are inauthentic. We’ve taken action to ban the users involved in this trolling campaign — and are going to continue working to address this in the days to come to make Twitter safe and welcoming for everyone. https://t.co/1hUnb1WYPZ
— Yoel Roth (@yoyoel) October 30, 2022

"Twitter's policies haven't changed. Hateful conduct has no place here. And we're taking steps to put a stop to an organized effort to make people think we have," Roth said.

The racist trend has forced human rights activists and several prominent personalities to ask for swift action against hate speech on Twitter. Earlier on Saturday, NBA star LeBron James asked Musk to take action against it.

Evidence suggests that bad actors are trying to test the limits on @Twitter. Several posts on 4chan encourage users to amplify derogatory slurs.

For example, over the last 12 hours, the use of the n-word has increased nearly 500% from the previous average. pic.twitter.com/mEqziaWuMF
— Network Contagion Research Institute (@ncri_io) October 28, 2022

"I dont know Elon Musk and, tbh, I could care less who owns Twitter. But I will say that if this is true, I hope he and his people take this very seriously because this is scary AF. So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech," James tweeted. James even got a response from Musk, who pointed to the thread by Roth on the subject.

Musk had pledged to ensure unrestricted free speech on Twitter before he bought it. People are now worried that it may lead to a rise in hate speech.

After Twitter's acquisition, Musk said that he would make "no major content decisions or account reinstatements" until there is a new "moderation council." However, he did not reveal anything about who would be on this council.