Elon Musk is trying to frame his $44bn takeover of Twitter – what he dubs the “digital town square” - as a crusade to protect free speech. Musk, who is a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist”, has implied that Twitter should amend its content moderation policies. However, in a world where social media and search engines have become integral to how people find and access information and news online, an approach focused only on a negative rights philosophy won’t be sufficient. Hence, we need positive safeguards to introduce and promote public interest objectives in the governance of social media platforms, writes Eleonora Maria Mazzoli.