By Guardian Life
08 November 2022 |
11:47 am
Users of the social media site are testing Elon Musk’s dedication to free speech by suspending verified Twitter accounts with millions of followers after he changed his user name to Elon Musk. Kathy Griffin, a comedian with two million followers on her blue-ticked account, was one of those locked out for disobeying the volatile CEO.…
(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 21, 2019 Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk introduces the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla Cybertruck at Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California. – Elon Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives, US media reported late October 27, 2022, in a deal that puts one of the top platforms for global discourse in the hands of the world’s richest man. Musk sacked chief executive Parag Agrawal, as well as the company’s chief financial officer and its head of legal policy, trust and safety, the Washington Post and CNBC reported citing unnamed sources. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP)
Users of the social media site are testing Elon Musk’s dedication to free speech by suspending verified Twitter accounts with millions of followers after he changed his user name to Elon Musk.
Kathy Griffin, a comedian with two million followers on her blue-ticked account, was one of those locked out for disobeying the volatile CEO.
The “free speech absolutist” Musk, who has previously called himself, tweeted on Sunday that “any Twitter handles engaged in impersonation without clearly declaring ‘parody’ will be permanently removed.”
Despite claiming to be a spoof, the Twitter account for h3h3Productions, which likewise changed its user name to Elon Musk, was also blocked.
User @jephjacques changed their display name to Elon Musk and tweeted a series of parodies about Musk’s involvement in every aspect of his new business, including: “look can everyone just stop tweeting for a second? It moves too quickly for me to control it alone.
A short while afterwards, the over 80,000-follower account was suspended.
Musk’s response to a tweet announcing Griffin’s suspension from the service added fuel to the fire that suggested he was personally involved in decisions to block accounts that target him.
“Actually, she was suspended for impersonating a comedian,” he quipped, prompting a response apparently from Griffin, who said she was now using her dead mother’s account.
“I mean… you stole that joke, you asshole,” @TipItMaggieG — whose username was also Elon Musk — tweeted. “People have been posting that joke for hours, you hack. Look, please do a better job running this company. It used to mean something.”
With the hashtag #FreeKathy, other users—including “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill—joined the debate.
Musk has made public comments on how to make money ever since completing his $44 billion acquisition of the social media giant.
The corporation has already taken steps such as terminating half of its global personnel and charging $8 per month for the formerly free blue tick verification.
He entered the US race on Monday, asking “independent-minded voters” to support Republicans.
“Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.”
