Twitter has a new owner, and although Elon Musk has promised free speech, there have already been numerous account suspensions.
Comedian Kathy Griffin is among those whose account was suspended for impersonating the new owner of the popular social media platform.
Suspension
Kathy Griffin was the first celebrity to lose her tweeting rights after a wave of users impersonated Musk last weekend.
The depiction points out the flaws in Twitter’s plans for a new verification system.
Read also: Elon Musk will take more action on Twitter
Subscription plans
Elon Musk used the $8 subscription as a signature to increase the company’s revenue and avoid relying on advertising.
The new plan launched over the weekend before the company decided to postpone the service until after the midterm elections.
The new Twitter Blue subscription gives paying users a blue checkmark on their profile.
The option was previously only available to celebrities, politicians, journalists and other public figures.
Elon Musk offers the new functionality as a solution to combat spam bots on the platform.
However, the plan did not sit well with people.
Celebrities and comedians
Over the weekend, several celebrities on Twitter impersonated Musk as an act of defiance.
Comedian Sarah Silverman copied Musk’s profile picture, cover photo, and name before tweeting:
“I am a freedom of speech absolutist and I eat doody for breakfast every day.”
Silverman also retweeted messages in support of Democratic candidates.
On Sunday, her account had a label saying it was “temporarily restricted” with an unusual activity warning on his account.
So the comedian restored her account with her original name and photo.
TV’s Valerie Bertinelli also changed her Twitter name to Elon Musk, tweeting:
“[t]he blue checkmark simply meant your identify was verified. Scammers would have a harder time importsonating you. That no longer applied. Good luck out there!”
Bertinelli later reverted back to her original account name and pictures, saying, “[o]key-dokey I’ve had my fun and I think I made my point.”
Read also: Elon Musk to find new source of revenue for Twitter
Elon Musk
Speaking of impersonations on Sunday, Twitter’s new owner wrote:
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended.”
Elon Musk also clarified that Twitter users will not receive notification of their suspension.
“This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue,” he explained.
As of Monday morning, Kathy Griffin’s account is suspended, and it’s unclear how long it will remain in effect.
The night before, Musk mocked Griffin, saying she got her suspension for impersonating a comedian.
He said she can get her account back online after paying $8 for Twitter Blue.
However, it’s unclear if Musk was serious about his comments.
Reference:
Kathy Griffin suspended from Twitter for impersonating Elon Musk
