The news of X (formerly Twitter) reinstating Kanye West on its platform comes after the rapper was banned last December for posting an image of a swastika. According to The Wall Street Journal, X decided to allow West back on the platform under the condition that he would not post antisemitic or harmful content. Additionally, ads will not be displayed alongside his posts, and he will not be able to monetize his account.
Kanye West has had several interactions with the platform in the past, including a short-lived return in October after staying away from tweeting for two years. However, he was banned again shortly after for making controversial statements about Jewish people. He also attempted to acquire the social media app Parler, but the deal did not materialize, and he faced consequences from major brands like Adidas and Gap, who severed ties with him due to his past comments.
Since Elon Musk acquired X last fall, he has taken a more lenient approach to banning accounts based on site rules unless laws were broken. He has restored the accounts of controversial personalities, including Donald Trump and avowed neo-Nazis. However, this approach has drawn criticism, with Israel’s Foreign Ministry holding Musk responsible for a rise in antisemitism on the platform, which they say is now filled with antisemitic conspiracies and hate speech targeting Jews globally.
It’s worth noting that Musk recently changed the name and logo of the platform to X and placed a strobing X sign on the roof of the company’s San Francisco headquarters. While there were initial concerns about the sign, Musk clarified that the company’s headquarters would remain in San Francisco despite his previous comments about the city being in a “death spiral.”
