Elon Musk Bans Parody Accounts Of Himself On Twitter, Limits Impersonation For All

Elon Musk just can't catch a break! Since Tesla and SpaceX founder took over Twitter as CEO and become the sole director of the company, a lot of parody accounts popped up on Twitter - aimed at making fun of the self-professed "Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator."

Now, it appears that Elon Musk is upset. "Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ¡°parody¡± will be permanently suspended," Musk announced on Twitter.

Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ¡°parody¡± will be permanently suspended

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022

Reuters

Don't impersonate Musk on Twitter

Not much later, comedian Kathy Griffin's account was suspended, along with Sarah Silverman and Rich Sommer. They were all impersonating Musk. In classic Musk style, he actually referred to the same, saying that Griffin can get back her account for well, $8 a month.

Actually, she was suspended for impersonating a comedian

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022

For $8

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022

AFP

As Musk, Griffin was urging people to vote for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections in the US.

In many ways, Musk is going back on his own words. On October 28, Elon Musk promised that no "major content decisions" would take place before a content moderation council was set up to reflect diverse opinions.

Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning.

This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022

Now, his new provisions require impersonation accounts to specify the word "parody" in a way that's clearly visible, whatever that means. It's unclear if accounts that were banned were given a warning in advance of the policy change or they were banned without being given a chance. But Musk has made one thing clear - "there will no warnings" for users starting immediately.

Also read: Elon Musk Admits Twitter Employees Sold Verification Blue Ticks For $15,000

"My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk," Musk wrote on Sunday.

Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022

Reuters

In addition, he said that Twitter "needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world."

Regardless, banning comedians and critics might not be the right precedent to set for the future of Twitter, especially now that many big names are planning to leave Twitter in favour of platforms that are more interested in actively curbing hate speech.

Also read: Elon Musk Changes His Bio As 'Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator' Amid Criticism Over Blue Tick Fee

What do you think about Elon Musk's impersonation ban on Twitter? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.