Twitter bans ads that defy climate change science

Twitter on Friday banned ads that deny the reality of climate change.

Twitter’s announcement on Earth Day came as it tries to fend off an unwanted takeover bid by billionaire Elon Musk, who has said he thinks people should be able to say pretty much whatever they want on the platform.

“Misleading advertisements on Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited, in line with our inappropriate content policy,” Twitter global sustainability manager Casey Junod said in a blog post.

“We believe that climate denialism shouldn’t be monetized on Twitter, and that misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis.”

Twitter last year introduced a Topic feature to help users find conversations about climate change, and rolled out hubs of “credible, authoritative” information on an array of high-profile topics including the science backing climate change.

“We recognise that misleading information about climate change can undermine efforts to protect the planet,” Junod said.

“Now more than ever, meaningful climate action, from all of us, is critical.”

As tempting as access to Musk’s wealth may be, Twitter is not eager to be ruled by a billionaire known for shooting from the hip with little regard for the consequences.

The global one-to-many messaging platform is moving to prevent Musk from getting his hands on all of Twitter’s outstanding shares, signalling that worries about where he would lead the company outweigh the proffered payoff.

Twitter’s board opted to employ a “poison pill” defence, under which any acquisition of over 15 per cent of the firm’s stock without its OK would trigger a plan to flood the market with shares and thus make a buyout much harder.