'Should Assange and Snowden be pardoned?' Elon Musk starts a new Twitter poll
Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk has launched a new poll on the social media platform asking users whether WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange and former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden, should be pardoned. Both Assange and Snowden have been living in exile after leaking confidential and sensitive information exposing alleged wrongdoings and surveillance by US military and intelligence.
FollowTesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently acquired Twitter, made news once more after beginning a new tweet poll on Julian Assange, the creator of WikiLeaks, and Edward Snowden, a former US intelligence contractor. He launched a poll asking followers if the US government should pardon WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange and whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Musk's tweet read, "I am not expressing an opinion, but did promise to conduct this poll. Should Assange and Snowden be pardoned?"
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The poll comes in response to news that Snowden had been issued a Russian passport and that Assange had filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Additionally, the newly appointed Twitter CEO made it clear that he is not giving his view, but rather promising to run this poll.
More than 1 million votes have been cast in the survey with 21 hours remaining, with around 79% of respondents supporting pardoning the two whistleblowers.
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After disclosing private and delicate material about alleged wrongdoings and monitoring by the US military and intelligence, Assange and Snowden have both been living in exile.
Since gaining control of the microblogging platform, Musk has regularly carried out similar user surveys. Musk has used these polls to make important choices regarding the social media platform, from comments on updated Twitter policies to unblocking accounts that had been reinstated.
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