Elon Musk to form a council to advise on lifting any Twitter bans

Twitter Inc. will form a content-moderation council that includes “widely diverse viewpoints,” and big decisions on content and account reinstatements are on hold until the group is convened, new owner Elon Musk said, addressing speculation that he might restore banned users to the social network immediately.

Musk, whose $44 billion deal to take the social network private was completed Thursday, had indicated previously that he thought Twitter’s content moderation standards were too strict and that he didn’t believe in lifetime bans. Users and advertisers are waiting to see if the new owner’s views mean that high-profile personalities who were blocked from the site, including former US President Donald Trump, will be allowed back on. Musk’s tweet on Friday indicates that no reinstatements are imminent.