CEO Elon Musk has warned Twitter will permanently suspend the accounts that engage in impersonation, triggering a debate over his own reiterated commitment to promote “free speech” on the leading social networking platform.
The announcement came after Twitter was streamed with targeted jibes from several celebrities and users with verified accounts who were impersonating the billionaire. Twitter launched a crackdown on the accounts parodying Musk, with prominent figures such as US comedian Kathy Griffin and former NFL player Chris Kluwe either being suspended or slapped with a warning sign.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” tweeted Musk.
Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022
Previously, a warning was issued before suspension, but now there would be no warning for parody accounts that are not clearly labelled as such with widespread paid verification set to be rolled out, said Musk.
“Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark,” Musk added.
Before Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter, the platform’s rules stated that users “may not impersonate individuals, groups, or organisations to mislead, confuse, or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of others on Twitter.”
Those who did engage in parody were required to make it clear in both their account name and bio. Profile moderation, temporary and then permanent suspension were some of the measures taken by Twitter in response to impersonation before Musk took over. The policy, however, has yet to be updated.
The crackdown on parody accounts has triggered a debate over Musk’s highly publicised vision for Twitter, which primarily entailed his promise to promote “free speech” on the platform. Before acquiring the company, Musk, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist”, expressed his misgivings about its moderation policies, particularly lifetime bans in case of serious violations such as hate speech and incitement to violence. The billionaire went so far as to say he would allow any speech that doesn’t break the law on the tweeting platform. His ongoing decisions concerning moderation and content seem to contradict his own commitments, however.
Since Musk’s takeover, sweeping changes, including resignations and mass layoffs, have been rocking the social media firm. According to reports, Musk plans to lay off more than 3,000 employees. Twitter is also facing a class-action lawsuit from at least five workers who complained they were laid off without sufficient notice. In response to the reports of mass sackings, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, wrote an open letter to Musk, saying human rights should be central to the management of Twitter under Musk’s leadership.
