The self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist" has been allowed to use the company's moderation policies.
He initially argued that bannings should be reserved for accounts that are known to be fraudulent. Several journalists were suspended last week after he accused them of sharing flight data that showed his location. Many of the banned items were later reversed.
The New York Times analyzed the recently reinstated accounts of more than 1,000 users to find out how Mr. Musk's content decisions affected the company. The posts were collected for The Times by Bright Data, a social media tracking company, which used a list of reinstated users identified by a Berlin-based software developer.
Most of the reinstated accounts were deeply partisan, and they were eager to bring their fiery takes back to the social network. It was not clear from the data why the users were suspended or why they were restored, though it is possible that many were banned as a result of the election misinformation.
The founder and chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate said that Mr. Musk sent a message to the people who had been suspended.
There was no response to a request for comment.
One user said he got his account back after being banned for being a republican. The same person wrote 10 minutes later that Joe Biden is an illegitimate president.
Here are some of the things these users have been saying on the social networking site.
Over 11,000 accounts, including many prominent users, were suspended after they pushed false information about the swine flu. After Mr. Musk took control of the company, it was decided that the policy wouldn't be enforced.
After the Covid-19 policies went into effect, several reinstated users started posting again about the virus. Some questioned the effectiveness of vaccines or suggested that they killed people.
The documentary "Died Suddenly" claimed that people were dying from the vaccine. Some people shared their own stories.
One user said that if you watched Died Suddenly here is more proof that it is true. The user was banned from using the internet in January 2021.
Thousands of accounts were suspended for pushing false and misleading ideas about the election results. Hundreds of users have returned to the social networking site.
The governor's race in Arizona and the Senate race in Pennsylvania were two close races. The Republican candidate for governor in Arizona refused to concede because of problems with the voting process and she claimed to have been a victim of fraud. Her ideas were echoed by many people who had been reinstated.
Falsehoods and conspiracy theories from the 2020 election were recycled.
One user said that voters used to decide elections in Arizona. It is not the case anymore.
The peak of the online conspiracy theory appeared to be on January 6, 2021. Many of the movement's core ideas are still being used by the far right.
Questions have been raised about the association of prominent Democrats with a man who was charged with child sex trafficking and is a central figure in the QAnon conspiracy.
There is no evidence to support the claim that Democrats and Hollywood celebrities are involved in sex traffickers. Liberals are accused of grooming children using drag performers and sex education.
One user who had been suspended for two years wrote in his user name that he had been reinstated. Thanks to the new owner, I owe that to you.
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