UN Human Rights Commissioner Asks Elon Musk To Pay More Attention To Human Rights Management On Twitter

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, asks Elon Musk to pay more attention to human rights on Twitter. (photo: twitter @volker_turk)

JAKARTA - The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on Saturday, November 5, issued an open letter to Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter Inc. He urged the world's richest man to "make sure human rights are at the center of Twitter's management".

Twitter Inc. just laid off half its workforce on Friday, November 4. Even a tweet from the staff of the social media company said that the team in charge of human rights was among those affected by the dismissal. This is a development that Türk describes as a "exciting start".

"Twitter is part of a global revolution that has changed the way we communicate," Türk said in the letter. "But I write with concern and fear about our digital public square and Twitter's role in it."

"Like all companies, Twitter needs to understand the hazards associated with its platform and take steps to address them," he added. "Respect for our common human rights must set a guardrail for the use and evolution of the platform."

"In short, I urge you to ensure human rights are at the center of Twitter's management under your leadership," the UN High Commissioner said.

Friday's layoffs ended a week of chaos and uncertainty about the future of Twitter under Musk, who tweeted last Friday that the service was experiencing a "massive drop in revenue".