Gigi Hadid quits 'cesspit' Twitter following Elon Musk takeover

Palestinian-American model Gigi Hadid has quit Twitter, after Elon Musk, the world's richest man, bought the social media platform.

Hadid is one of the many Twitter users concerned by Musk's plans for Twitter, with fears that his "hands off" approach to monitoring the site will allow far-right activists to re-emerge.

Monitors noted a proliferation in the number of racist tweets on Twitter after Musk took control of the social media giant last month in a staggering $43 billion deal.

Hadid is one of many Twitter users who have voiced concerns that online abuse could now become much worse.

"I deactivated my Twitter account today. For a long time, but especially with its new leadership, it's becoming more and more of a cesspit of hate & bigotry, and [it's] not a place I want to be part of," Hadid said in a statement posted on her Instagram page.

"Only sorry to the fans who I've loved connecting with for a decade via Twitter but I can't say it's a safe place for anyone, not a platform that will do more good than harm."

Gigi's sister, Bella, remains on the platform.

The post was accompanied by a tweet from Shannon Raj Singh, a former member of Twitter's human rights team who was one of the thousands of staff members sacked by Musk last week. 

Activists fear the job cuts and Musk's commitment to "free speech" will make it harder for Twitter to monitor racist and abusive tweets.

There are also fears about the possible re-emergence of banned right-wing personalities.

Among those touted to make a dramatic return is former US President Donald Trump. He had his account permanently suspended by Twitter last year due to a "risk of further incitement of violence" after the 6 January 2021 Capital storming by his supporters.

Despite the massive cuts to the Twitter team, Musk has so far not made allowed back any of those previously banned by the platform.