Elon Musk bans impersonation without parody label on Twitter raising questions about free speech commitment - CNBC

After respective personage and blue-check verified Twitter users changed their accounts to mimic the societal network's caller proprietor Elon Musk, helium called for a swift alteration to argumentation enforcement.

Musk wrote connected Sunday that, moving forward, Twitter volition present permanently suspend impersonators' accounts without informing if they are not intelligibly labeled arsenic parody.

In a bid of tweets connected Sunday, the Tesla, SpaceX and present Twitter CEO seemed to alteration his caput connected imperishable bans, and wrote:

In May, aft helium agreed to bargain Twitter, Musk argued against beingness bans and said helium would reverse 1 connected Donald Trump. Twitter had banned the erstwhile president successful the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection astatine the U.S. Capitol, fearing Trump's tweets would incite further violence. Trump has said helium would not instrumentality to Twitter.

Before Musk closed his $44 cardinal acquisition of Twitter connected Oct. 28, the societal network's rules specified that users, "may not impersonate individuals, groups, oregon organizations to mislead, confuse, oregon deceive others, nor usage a fake individuality successful a mode that disrupts the acquisition of others connected Twitter."

The institution antecedently required that users engaged successful parody should, "distinguish themselves in BOTH their relationship sanction and bio."

Twitter antecedently said it would instrumentality immoderate of 3 actions successful effect to impersonators, including: "profile moderation," "temporary suspension," oregon a "permanent suspension." The level would not usually leap to a imperishable prohibition of a user's relationship for impersonation anterior to Musk's takeover.

As of Sunday evening, Twitter had not yet updated its presumption of work to bespeak Musk's direction.

The determination of the "Chief Twit," arsenic helium has jokingly called himself, has stirred contention and consternation, successful portion due to the fact that Musk bills himself arsenic a free speech absolutist.

Last week, helium enactment down activists, including civilian rights leaders who called connected advertisers to halt spending connected Twitter until Musk proves the institution tin present connected its spot and information promises nether his leadership.

When Musk showed up astatine Twitter's San Francisco office connected Oct. 27, online trolls and bigots raided the societal network, polluting it with a flood of racist epithets and different hatred speech. Researchers said Twitter took due enactment successful response, but should person predicted and tried to forestall the raid.

After that gauntlet, Musk implemented steep headcount cuts astatine Twitter, laying disconnected astir 3,700 radical from crossed departments including dismissals of contented moderation, and different spot and information experts. A large absorption for him is simply a redesign of the platform's subscription merchandise and verification system.

Verification, successful the signifier of a blue-check, utilized to beryllium reserved for nationalist figures similar politicians and celebrities who were precise apt to beryllium impersonated by atrocious actors. Now, Musk plans to marque a verification people disposable to anyone who pays $7.99 per period for Twitter Blue, a subscription product.

The verification changes inspired the outpouring of mockery and mimicry by those who deliberation it volition complicate, alternatively than help, Twitter users find bully accusation and authentic accounts connected the platform.

The relationship of 1 of the comedians who impersonated Musk implicit the weekend, Kathy Griffin, was suspended connected Sunday. She changed her show sanction to Elon Musk and her illustration pic to look similar his, past wrote successful a tweet, "After overmuch spirited treatment with the females successful my life, I've decided that voting bluish for their prime is lone close (They're besides sexy females, btw.)" 

The relationship of histrion Rich Sommer, known for his relation arsenic Harry Crane connected AMC's "Mad Men," was besides suspended aft helium changed his show sanction and illustration representation to impersonate Musk.

Pretending to talk arsenic Musk connected Twitter, Sommer quipped connected Friday, "I'm successful implicit my head. Can 44 cardinal of you nonstop $1 each to twitter, attn me?" He aboriginal added, much searingly, "Ok, clip to employment program B since they're MAKING maine support Twitter. does anyone cognize immoderate advertisers who are, like, benignant of 'into' racism NOT ACTUAL RACISTS!! conscionable advertisement ppl who are, y'know, funny astir what it's each astir (racism)."

Twitter and Elon Musk did not instantly respond to a petition for remark oregon confirmation arsenic to whether Sommer and Griffin were permanently banned.

Others who impersonated Musk included histrion Valerie Bertinelli, who connected Saturday changed her show sanction to Elon Musk, past posted tweets urging her followers to ballot for Democratic candidates.

Sarah Silverman, the comedian, writer and big of "I Love You, America" besides changed her show sanction and avatar photograph to look similar Elon Musk's. She past appeared to talk successful Musk's voice, penning a juvenile crack, "I americium a state of code absolutist and I devour doody for meal each day."

Bertinelli changed her illustration backmost earlier Twitter took immoderate evident actions against her account. She wrote connected Sunday morning, "Okey-dokey I've had my amusive and I deliberation I made my point. I'm conscionable not a 'trending' benignant of gal. Never person been, ne'er privation to be. Have a harmless Sunday everyone! xo"

Silverman remained connected the platform, lone reverting backmost to usage her ain photograph and show sanction aft her relationship was locked by Twitter. In a station to her 12 cardinal listed fans and followers determination connected Sunday, Silverman wrote: "1) 9 days ago, 2) yesterday 3) today. We person fun," attaching 3 images.

One representation referred backmost to a committedness Musk made to his followers connected Oct. 28, penning that "Comedy is present ineligible connected Twitter," close aft helium had purchased the platform. The others showed her gag tweet, and that it had triggered a restriction.

Musk defended himself against critics who presumption his caller enforcement directive arsenic going against the escaped code values helium espouses connected Sunday. He wrote, "My committedness to escaped code extends adjacent to not banning the relationship pursuing my plane, adjacent though that is simply a nonstop idiosyncratic information risk."

College pupil Jack Sweeney created a Twitter relationship utilizing publically disposable information that automatically updates to amusement the whereabouts of Musk's predominant flights successful his backstage jet. Musk has pressured Sweeney and adjacent offered to wage him to instrumentality the the formation tracker down, but it remains connected Twitter adjacent now.

On Sunday, aft calling for bans of impersonators without a parody label, Musk besides tried displacement the absorption distant from escaped speech. He wrote, "Twitter needs to go by acold the astir close root of accusation astir the world. That's our mission."