Mike Ryan, executive director of the World Health Organization's health emergencies program, warned that Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter could bolster the proliferation of online health misinformation, Bloomberg reported April 26.
Mr. Musk, a tech entrepreneur and the richest person in the world, on April 25 reached a deal to acquire Twitter for about $44 billion. He is also a self-described free-speech absolutist.
On April 14 at the TED2022 conference, Mr. Musk said Twitter should follow the free speech laws of the countries it operates in, doing nothing more to regulate its users' speech.
When asked about Mr. Musk's free speech policy at a media briefing in Geneva, Mr. Ryan said the failure to curtail the spread of false health information could have serious — sometimes fatal — consequences for people's health.
"When anyone reaches a position in life where they have so much influence over the way information is shared with communities, they take on a huge responsibility," Mr. Ryan said at the briefing. "We wish Mr. Musk luck with his endeavors to improve the quality of information we all receive."