Elon Musk says he bought Twitter “because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” But in November, shortly after his purchase of the company was finalized, he laid off Twitter’s accessibility team and thus brought to a halt the company’s plan to launch tools to make Twitter more usable for people with disabilities. In February, Twitter wiped out closed captions for iOS, and such captions don’t work for its Android or desktop versions.
Twitter wiped out closed captions for iOS, and such captions don’t work for its Android or desktop versions.
Those actions show how hollow his commitment to making Twitter a public square is. Historically, Twitter has allowed nonspeaking autistic people who might otherwise be ignored to elevate their voices in dialogues. The platform’s (relatively) low barrier to entry had also helped many people with disabilities, who may not be able to participate in other forms of political organizing, to mobilize around political causes. See the #CripTheVote hashtag for an example. But under Musk, not only has Twitter granted a “general amnesty” to Twitter users who have engaged in racist, homophobic or transphobic rhetoric, but it has also made it more difficult for people with disabilities to engage in the same public square.
In a letter Friday to the Musk, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., correctly argues that eliminating the accessibility team “represents a dramatic and unwelcome shift, one that has already had devastating consequences for Twitter users with disabilities.” Markey asks Musk whether his platform complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and accessibility regulations under the Federal Communications Commission. Markey also asks Musk whether he will commit to change Twitter’s default setting so users are reminded to use alt-text to describe images, user-friendly…
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