Twitter: Elon Musk reinstates suspended accounts of some journalists
The Twitter accounts of some journalists, suspended after Elon Musk accused them of endangering his family, were restored on Saturday December 17, but some said they had been ordered to remove publications linked to the geographical position of multi-billionaire. fully utilize the platform. Elon Musk drew the ire of the European Union and the UN by suspending the accounts of journalists from CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post in particular, the Vice-President of the European Commission even threatening him with punishment He then launched a poll on Twitter asking whether he should reinstate the suspended accounts immediately or within a week. Almost 59% of the 3.69 million Internet users who took part in the survey answered that he should return them immediately.
“The people have spoken. The accounts that posted my location will have their suspension lifted,” the businessman tweeted on Friday. On Saturday, the accounts of freelance journalist Aaron Rupar, Mashable reporter Matt Binder and freelance writer Tony Webster were reactivated. Others remain suspended, such as Linette Lopez (Business Insider) and former MSNBC host, turned columnist, Keith Olbermann. CNN reporter Donie O’Sullivan, who works closely with Elon Musk, said that although his account was back up on Saturday, Twitter imposed a condition on him so he could tweet again. : that he will remove a post. which the network believes to be infringing. its privacy policy. “At this time, I agree to delete this tweet at the billionaire’s request, or I will not be allowed to tweet on the platform,” he told CNN.
It all started with @elonjet’s suspension
The latest controversy involving Elon Musk began on Wednesday when the Tesla and SpaceX boss announced that he had suspended @elonjet, an account that automatically reported the trips of his private jet. Several accounts then tweeted about the decision. Elon Musk justified the suspension of accounts by arguing that his safety as well as his family’s were at risk. He claimed in a tweet on Wednesday that a car with one of his children on board had been tracked in Los Angeles by “a crazy stalker”, appearing to create a causal link with the real-time positioning of his jet.
“They posted my exact location in real time, literally the coordinates for an assassination, in direct (and obvious) violation of Twitter’s terms of service,” he also said. Twitter did not say why these accounts were suspended. The owner of the social network, a source of much controversy since he bought it in October, however gave some indication. “Everyone will be treated the same,” he said in an audio conversation hosted live on Twitter on Friday, indicating there would be no privileges for journalists. Relaunched on the subject, Mr. left. Musk in the discussion and then deactivated the Twitter Spaces audio chat service, citing a “technical problem”.
The reactivation of the accounts is good news for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
In a tweet posted overnight from Thursday to Friday, Mr. Musk the temporary suspension of 7 days for “accounts involved in doxxing”. The term “doxxing” means publicly disclosing personal information about an individual on the Internet without their consent. The reactivation of the accounts was welcomed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who called it “good news”. “But serious concerns remain”, however, he explained to the social network, stressing that “Twitter is responsible in terms of respect for human rights”.
READ ALSO
Twitter: are we witnessing the brain death of the social network?
Journalist Aaron Rupar told MSNBC that even a temporary suspension would have a “terrible” effect on how the media covers Elon Musk. Since acquiring the platform for $44 billion, the billionaire has sent mixed messages about what is and isn’t allowed on it. Passionate defender of a great freedom of expression – as long as the statements respect the law – he returned the accounts previously banned by the social network, including that of Donald Trump. But he also suspended Kanye West’s after the publication of several messages deemed anti-Semitic and refused to return to the platform of the far-right conspiracy, Alex Jones.
READ ALSO
Tesla weighed down by Elon Musk, Twitter seems “an endless abyss”, the Stock Exchange council
