WSJ Op-Ed Urges Changes to Twitter Content Moderation

WSJ Op-Ed Urges Changes to Twitter Content Moderation

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal published today an op-ed by two conservative intellectuals providing a road map to alter Twitter moderation, including customized filters for “porn, racial slurs and spam.”

The editorial, titled “How Elon Musk Can Liberate Twitter,” was penned for the Rupert Murdoch-owned financial newspaper by entrepreneur and writer Vivek Ramaswamy and Yale law professor Jeb Rubenfeld.

Ramaswamy and Rubenfeld kick off their editorial by asserting that even though prospective Twitter buyer Elon Musk may want Twitter to “adhere to free speech principles,” that is “easier said than done” because “porn, racial slurs and spam are all protected under the First Amendment, but few users want to see them.”

The first step to solving moderation conundrums, Ramaswamy and Rubenfeld state, “is to recognize that different free-speech principles apply in different contexts, and there are three key different kinds of forums: public forums, limited public forums and private property.”

Twitter, the authors argue, isn’t a public forum, “most obviously because it isn’t run by the government (even though its censorship is sometimes at official behest).”

The authors argue that Twitter needs to be understood in a grey-area category between public and private, which they call a “limited public forum” and define as “places generally open to the public where speech can be subjected to reasonable regulation.”

“One kind of restriction, however, is forbidden: viewpoint discrimination,” they claim, and “that’s how Mr. Musk should think of Twitter.”

Ramaswamy and Rubenfeld use the concept of “viewpoint discrimination” to carve out a distinction between content they think should not be subject to moderation, and other content that is somehow inherently not “a viewpoint.”

Stopping Twitter from “[smuggling] viewpoint discrimination into supposedly neutral content-moderation categories — primarily misinformation, incitement and hate speech,” Ramswamy and Rubenfeld tell Wall Street Journal readers, “should be Mr. Musk’s first priority.”

Among “viewpoint” categories Ramswamy and Rubenfeld believe should be protected are “conservative opinions about transgenderism,” “conservative views on COVID,” former President Trump’s “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” tweet, claims that the Democrats stole the presidency in 2020 and “the truthful Hunter Biden laptop story.”

The 'Opt-In Button'

The authors also insist that “bans on ‘hate speech’ would have to end,” and also that racist and sexist speech should be tolerated because it “expresses an opinion, however odious, and banning opinions is the essence of viewpoint discrimination.”

Racial slurs, however, can be curtailed by having Musk “change the paradigm for content moderation,” they argue, and allowing users to “decide for themselves” by offering “simple opt-in buttons.”

“Mr. Musk,” they write, “could keep in place all of Twitter’s offensive-speech protocols, but give every user the ability to opt in or out of them. If a user doesn’t want to see hate speech, there’s no reason he should have to. The same goes for constitutionally protected sexually explicit material.”

A more ambitious option, they continue, “would be to harness artificial intelligence and develop an individualized filtering mode. Each user would decide for himself whether to remove certain posts, and an AI algorithm would learn from his choices, creating a personalized filter. If Michael flags racial epithets or Laura deletes certain images, Twitter’s algorithms would be trained not to show them such epithets in future.”

In conclusion, they urge Musk to “conceive Twitter as a limited public forum, stop censoring viewpoints, and promote user choice over centralized content moderation.”

Ramaswamy is the author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” and “Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence."

Rubenfeld, an influential mentor who aided several prominent judicial careers by placing students in high-profile clerkships, was suspended from Yale Law School in 2020 for two years after after a Title IX investigation into sexual harassment claims from multiple former students.

A 2021 Wall Street Journal op-ed by both writers urged politicians to “Save the Constitution From Big Tech” and alleged that “American democracy is under siege from Silicon Valley’s political plutocracy.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued its decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, striking a blow against the online adult industry by ruling in support of Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites

The North Carolina state legislature this week ratified a bill that would impose new regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

Supreme Court Ruling Due Friday in FSC v. Paxton AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the adult industry trade association's challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Ofcom: More Porn Providers Commit to Age Assurance Measures

A number of adult content providers operating in the U.K. have confirmed that they plan to introduce age checks in compliance with the Online Safety Act by the July 25 deadline, according to U.K. media regulator Ofcom.

Aylo Says It Will Comply With UK Age Assurance Requirements

Tech and media company Aylo, which owns various adult properties including Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube, plans to introduce age assurance methods in the United Kingdom that satisfy government rules under the Online Safety Act, the company has announced.

Kyrgyzstan Parliament Approves Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday passed legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

Trial Set for Lawsuit by U Wisconsin Professor Fired Over Adult Content

A trial date of June 22, 2026, has been set for the civil lawsuit filed by veteran communications professor Joe Gow against the University of Wisconsin board of regents, which fired him for creating and appearing in adult content.

New UK Task Force Meets to Target Adult Content

The architect of an influential report that recommended banning adult content deemed “degrading, violent and misogynistic” has convened an “Independent Pornography Review task force” aimed at translating that report’s findings into action in the U.K.

11:11 Creations Launches Affiliate Program

11:11 Creations principal Alicia Silver has launched 11:11 Cash for creators and affiliates.

Pineapple Support, Pornhub to Host 'Self Love' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Pornhub are hosting a free online support group for performers to develop self-love.

Show More