Elon Musk issues warning to Twitter parody account users

Parody Twitter accounts will be “permanently suspended” if they do not specify in their bio that they are impersonating, warned “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk.

The latest warning was in response to some owners of already verified accounts renaming themselves as Elon Musk in a bid to point out that the $8 plan would allow anyone to impersonate anyone else and can potentially spread disinformation.

Comedians Kathy Griffin and Sarah Silverman, and Australian satirical website the Chaser are among the accounts already known to be locked or suspended as a result, according to reports.

“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” Musk tweeted Sunday evening.

“Previously, we issued a warning before the 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,” he said in a thread.

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Furthermore, “Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark.”

Earlier, Musk had said that he opposed permanent bans on Twitter.

Trying to defend his bans, Musk tweeted that his commitment to free speech “extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk.”

Since Musk took over Twitter, there have been speculations that the accounts banned previously would be reinstated, including former US president Donald Trump.

Last week, the 51-year-old billionaire said they will not be allowed back onto Twitter until the social media platform has “a clear process for doing so.”

On Saturday, Twitter updated its app in Apple’s App Store to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks.

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