{"id":5559,"date":"2023-09-19T07:59:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T07:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/israels-netanyahu-urges-musk-to-balance-free-speech-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T07:59:09","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T07:59:09","slug":"israels-netanyahu-urges-musk-to-balance-free-speech-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/israels-netanyahu-urges-musk-to-balance-free-speech-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel’s Netanyahu urges Musk to balance free speech | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Elon Musk to strike a balance between protecting free expression and fighting hate speech at a meeting on Monday after weeks of controversy over antisemitic content on Musk’s social media platform X.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Musk attacked the Anti-Defamation League, accusing the nonprofit that works to fight antisemitism of primarily causing a 60% decrease in US\u00a0ad revenue at X, without providing evidence.<\/p>\n

Musk bought the platform, then known as Twitter, in October.<\/p>\n

Musk previously joined a conversation on X with the hashtag #BantheADL, engaging with users who expressed white supremacist views, and asked followers whether he should poll the platform about banning the ADL.<\/p>\n

“I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to not only stop antisemitism … but any collective hatred of a people,” Netanyahu said during the meeting that was broadcast live on X from Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California.<\/p>\n

“I know you’re committed to that … but I encourage and urge you to find a balance,” Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

Musk responded by saying he was against antisemitism and against anything that “promotes hate and conflict,” repeating his previous statements that X would not promote hate speech.<\/p>\n

Musk has said X should be a platform for people to post diverse viewpoints, but the company will limit the distribution of certain posts that may violate its policies, calling the approach “freedom of speech, not reach.”<\/p>\n

The billionaire, who also runs Tesla and SpaceX, noted that he received more pushback from Tesla employees about the meeting with Netanyahu than “anything else I’ve ever done.”<\/p>\n

Netanyahu and his nationalist-religious coalition are trying to limit some of the Israeli Supreme Court’s powers, arguing it is necessary to prevent political overreach by unelected judges.<\/p>\n

Opponents say the changes could encourage corruption and abuses of power by removing effective oversight, and the issue has split Israeli society and raised concerns over Israel’s democratic health.<\/p>\n

About 200 people protesting the judicial overhaul gathered outside Tesla’s California factory, where the event was held.<\/p>\n

Musk and Netanyahu also discussed how to harness the benefits of the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, while limiting the risks to society, a concern Musk and others in the tech industry have raised in recent months.<\/p>\n

“We stand today at a juncture for all humanity, where we have to choose between a blessing and a curse,” Netanyahu said, adding that AI could advance medicine but lead to risks like disrupting democracy.<\/p>\n

Israel is considered a world-leader in AI, thanks to burgeoning computing and robotics industries that draw on talent developed in the technologically advanced conscript military.<\/p>\n

Foreign investment in Israeli tech startups has plunged in the last year, partly due to a global slowdown and exacerbated by investor fears that the push to trim the Supreme Court’s powers would remove a key check and balance.<\/p>\n

With foreign flows down sharply, the shekel has weakened by more than 8% versus the dollar this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n