Senator Threatens Elon Musk After Twitter Tiff: 'Fix Your Companies, Or Congress Will'

Elon Musk needs to fix his companies, or at least that's what a US Senator told him on Twitter recently.

On Friday, Senator Ed Markey wrote a tweet with a link to a letter in which he criticised musk for the new $8 per month verification programme that now comes with Twitter Blue subscription.

Reuters

The letter refers to a Washington Post report wherein a reporter was able to create a fake verified account impersonating Markey. In the letter, he urged Elon Musk to take action.

A @washingtonpost reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating me¡ªI¡¯m asking for answers from @elonmusk who is putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation. Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again. pic.twitter.com/R4r7p6mduP

¡ª Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 11, 2022

Musk vs Markey on Twitter

"Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again,¡± Markey writes," Markey wrote.

In response, Twitter's new CEO hit back at Markey, writing - "Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody." In a follow up tweet, Musk asked, "Why does your pp have a mask?" while referring to the profile picture of Markey with a mask on.

Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2022

Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?

¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2022

Markey didn't take the comments lightly. "One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you¡¯re spending your time picking fights online," Markey wrote. "Fix your companies. Or Congress will," he added.

One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you¡¯re spending your time picking fights online. Fix your companies. Or Congress will. https://t.co/lE178gPRoM

¡ª Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 13, 2022

Also read: Major Resignations Rock Twitter Days After Elon Musk Takeover

Elon Musk can crack as many jokes as he wants, but the truth that Twitter's experiments over the last week have been unfruitful from the user end. With a paid verification available to all, impersonation has become a bigger problem. Many big companies, celebrities, and politicians have become victims of the same.

One account impersonating Nintendo showed Mario with a middle finger, while another account pretending to be LeBron James claimed that he was planning to leave Los Angeles Lakers.

Reuters

While most of these accounts have been taken down, many managed to stay online for a long time - doing enough harm to an individual or a company that was being impersonated.

Also read: From 80 Hour Work Week To Bankruptcy: What Elon Musk Said In His First Message To Twitter Employees

In fact, things got so bad that Twitter had to stop people from signing up for Twitter Blue. Even then, Elon Musk has claimed that Twitter will ban users who impersonate others, unless they carry an explicit mention of "parody" in the display name.

AFP

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

References

Fowler, G. A. (2022, November 11). We got Twitter ¡®verified¡¯ in minutes posing as a comedian and a senator. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/11/twitter-blue-checkmark/

Roth, E. (2022, November 13). ¡®Fix your companies. Or Congress will,¡¯ Senator Ed Markey warns Elon Musk. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/13/23456230/elon-musk-senator-ed-markey-fix-your-companies-congress-will-twitter-warning