Several human rights groups have raised concerns over Elon Musk’s proposed takeover of Twitter, citing the potential rise of hate speech and the power it will give the Tesla boss.

Musk has previously described himself as a “free speech absolutist” and has long been critical of Twitter’s desire to moderate content, adding Twitter needs to “become a genuine forum for free speech”.

But regardless of the owner, Human Rights Watch says “the company has responsibilities to respect the rights of people around the world”.

It warns “changes to policies, features, and algorithms can have disproportionate and sometimes devastating impacts,”.

The American Civil Liberties Union believes “there’s a lot of danger having so much power in the hands of any one individual”.

After securing the deal, Musk took to Twitter to post a statement, where he says free speech is “the bedrock of a functioning democracy”.