Twitter will not reinstate banned users without 'clear process,' Musk says

By Sheila Dang

(Reuters) - Banned accounts will not be allowed back onto Twitter until the social media platform has "a clear process for doing so," Elon Musk tweeted in the early hours on Wednesday, giving more clarity about the potential return of Twitter's most famous banned user, former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Creating such a process would take at least a few more weeks, Musk tweeted. The new timeline implies Trump will not return in time for the midterm elections on Nov. 8.

Twitter users, advertisers and its own employees have been watching closely for signs of what Musk will do in his first week as Twitter's owner. The Tesla chief executive has previously said Twitter should not permanently ban users and that he would reverse the ban on Trump, who was suspended for risk of further incitement of violence after the U.S. Capitol riot last year.

Musk's tweets came after he held a call with several civil rights organizations including Color of Change, the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP on Tuesday.

During the call, Musk committed to uphold Twitter's content moderation policies and enforcement around election integrity, said Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, in an interview.

Musk also reiterated in his tweet on Wednesday that Twitter will create a content moderation council composed of representatives with "widely divergent views."

The billionaire expressed during the call that he would like the civil society groups to join the council, Robinson said, adding the discussions were still at an early stage.

"Actions will speak louder than words," he said. "The issues that were addressed in this meeting were just the tip of the iceberg."

(Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas; Editing by Nick Zieminski)