Amid the much-hyped takeover of Twitter and the future of "free speech" on the social media platform, billionaire Elon Musk has clarified his stand on the issue. In his latest tweet, Musk said: "By 'free speech', I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people (sic)."

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This came shortly after he tweeted, "The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all," while adding the Latin phrase "Per aspera ad astra," which roughly translates to "Through difficulties to the stars!"

By “free speech”, I simply mean that which matches the law.

I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect.Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2022

Ahead of the big Twitter deal worth $44 billion, the Tesla Chief had vowed to encourage free speech, besides adding new products to Twitter. “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” Musk tweeted on April 25.

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He went on to add, "I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means."

However, his "absolute" support to "free speech" elicited a negative response from a section of netizens. Several people expressed concerns that unbridled free speech could spiral into misinformation and hate speech.

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How EU reacted

The "free speech" debate also comes in the wake of the European Union (EU) passing a new law -- Digital Services Act -- that aims to force social network platforms to police their content much more aggressively. European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, even told Musk that his rules "won't apply" to the EU.

Also read: European Union approves Digital Security Act for Google, Meta to curb illegal content

Talking to The Financial Times, he said, "We are open to everyone, but on our own terms. Elon, we welcome you, but your rules will not apply to us."

Soon after, Breton tweeted, "Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules -- regardless of their shareholding. Mr Musk knows this well. He is familiar with European rules on automotive, and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act."

Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules – regardless of their shareholding.Mr Musk knows this well.He is familiar with European rules on automotive, and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act.#DSA

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) April 26, 2022

Trump question

Meanwhile, some Twitter users have said Musk's Twitter takeover is likely to lead to less content moderation and the reinstatement of banned individuals, including former US President Donald Trump.

Also read: Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal may pocket $42 million 'if terminated' by Elon Musk

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)