Elon Musk said that ‘Comedy is Now Legal’ on Twitter. But jokes about his takeover are getting users suspended

• One day after purchasing Twitter, he became a billionaire Elon Musk publishedThe platform now allows you to say “comedy”
• Since then, parody accounts that impersonated Musk or joked about the acquisition have been deleted.
• Musk Twitter on SundayUnlabeled parody accounts are “permanently suspended”, without prior notice.

Musk has acquired Elon Musk for $44 billion. However, comedy may be legal on Twitter. Parody accounts could face a “permanent suspension” without warning. Tweet on Sunday — which several users told Insider has happened to their accounts after joking about the billionaire.

One day after purchasing Twitter, MuskA tweet said “comedy has now been made legal” on the platform. However, in the days following his takeover parody accounts impersonating Musk began to appear across the site. They riff about the new owner and get banned. 

Fake Elons suspended

“There’s nothing better than waking and drinking a hot, steaming cup my urine,” former NFL punter Chris Kluwe tweeted from his verified account after changing his account details — including photo, name, and bio —  to match Musk’s profile. It’s scientifically proven that brain cells can grow with this tangy way of starting the day. You can be like me if you drink your pee. 

—Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) November 4, 2022

“Okay, it’s time to use plan b because they’re MAKING ME keep tweeting,” read one of several tweets from actor Rich SommerMusk parodies “Mad Men”: “Does anyone have any advertisers that are, like? ‘into’ racist NOT ACTUAL RAISISTS!” Just a few people who are curious about racism (advertising).

“The remaining Twitter staff are actively bullying my now,” cartoonist JephMusk tweeted from his verified account. The profile photo featured Musk’s PayPal era before it was closed. suspected hair transplant surgery. “Jed from accounting called my face ‘little boy bitchboy’ and nobody said anything. He was fired and my goons are having his wife’s legs broken by my goons. It hurts.

Since posting the joking tweets, each of the verified accounts — as well as others, including the account of Comedy comedian Kathy Griffin — have been restricted on Twitter or removed entirely.

—Jesse Hawken (@jessehawken) November 4, 2022

Sommer said that “I had absolutely no intention of anyone believing that I was Elon Musk.” “I wanted to, I guess, go down in flames. I knew that I was probably heading for the exit. However, I also wanted to show everyone that they could be anything, even though I was carrying that blue check. 

The future of parody account

Musk, who describes himself as a “smart guy”, has said that he is a “very smart person.”Absolute freedom of speech“with intentions to make Twitter akin a digital square that allows All speech is constitutionally protectedOn Sunday, he modified his comments so that he included only parodies. 

Musk: “Going forward, all Twitter accounts engaging in impersonation and not clearly specifying the ‘parody” will be permanently suspended Tweet. “Previously we issued warnings before suspending, but now that widespread verification is being implemented, there will not be any warning. This will be clearly marked as a condition to signing up for Twitter Blue.

Musk stated that any name change from a verified account would result “temporary loss” of the verified checkmark. After accounts such as Kluwe’s and Sommer’s were suspended without notice, Musk’s tweets were sent.

—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022

Kluwe stated that the plan was to stop abuse of the verification system. Kluwe stated that he wanted to make it clear how easy it was to abuse the verified checkmark by pretending to be Musk, and encouraged other verified users do the same.

Kluwe stated, “It is especially rich coming out of him, the champion of free speech that he’s,” “Like, if they crack down on parody then it would actually be a violationof free speech if that was a public governmental forum.” 

Verified impersonators

The Twitter account is still active Policy on parody, commentary, fan accounts and policySpecific prohibitions are placed on users who use language like “real”, “official” and “official” in accounts that are not associated with the person or organisation they are parodying. However, accounts that explicitly state they are parodies do not constitute an intrinsic violation of Twitter’s existing policies. impersonation policy. 

The existing guidelines state that you may not pretend to be someone, groups or organizations in order to deceive, mislead or deceive others. You also must not use a fake name in a way that disrupts other users’ experience on Twitter. Policy on parody accounts reads.

Insider spoke with Kluwe and Sommer who clearly stated that they knew their posts were violating Twitter Terms of Service. Each expected to be warned or suspended, but wanted the opportunity to show how users could abuse the verification badge in order to fool others.

“Really the whole point was that I knew I was breaking the terms of service — like if they’re perfectly within their rights to kick me off because you’re not allowed to impersonate people, it’s bad for disinformation — but under this new plan of trying to monetize the verified status, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Kluwe told Insider, adding that scammers using verified accounts could post links to malware or scam sites while impersonating others.

Kluwe stated, “All it takes it is one person clicking that link and then falling in love with it.” It’s a great return on investment for the scammer.

Musk announced last week that he has plans Changes to the verification systemsIncludes an $8 per month subscription to Twitter Blue to unlock verified status, which critics — including Kluwe, Sommer, and Jacques — worry will lead to scammers paying for verification only to pose as a more credible person to take advantage of others.

“One of the things that the email [about my suspension]Jacques explained to Insider that’significant changes’ to a verified person’s profile can cause confusion and erode its meaning. He also said that Musk is a “chronic Bullshit artist”.

“I was thinking about this email and I thought, ‘Yes the badge you’re going be selling for $8 to anyone. It certainly has a lot meaning. It’s been quite funny. Elon has behaved exactly as I would expect. And I’m proud to everybody who participated in this amazing sequence,” Jacques said..

Insider reached out to Musk and Twitter representatives but they did not respond immediately.