Twitter has suspended the account notorious for tracking Elon Musk’s jet—even though Musk originally refused to ban it.
The suspension targets the @ElonJet(Opens in a new window) account for violating Twitter’s rules. Which rule was broken remains unclear, but the takedown is raising eyebrows because Musk says he bought Twitter to prioritize free speech, even speech with which he personally disagrees.
(Twitter)
“My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk,” Musk tweeted(Opens in a new window) on Nov. 7.
Apparently, that commitment didn’t last long. Over the weekend, the college student behind @ElonJet, Jack Sweeney, accused Twitter of secretly “shadow banning” the account, making it harder to find. As evidence, he published(Opens in a new window) a screenshot of what he says is a Twitter exec ordering staff via Slack to place a heavy visibility filter on the @ElonJet account.
On Monday, Sweeney claimed(Opens in a new window) Twitter had lifted the shadow ban for the account. But then this morning, he reported(Opens in a new window) the company had permanently suspensed @ElonJet.
In response, some Twitter users are calling out Musk for backtracking on his previous decision. “So much for free speech,” wrote(Opens in a new window) one user. In the meantime, @ElonJet remains available on Facebook(Opens in a new window) and Instagram(Opens in a new window).
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So far, Musk hasn’t commented on the suspension. But the incident underscores how quickly Twitter’s new owner can change his mind when it comes to content moderation. In late October, for example, Musk said Twitter would only unban accounts after the company established a content moderation council. But in November, Musk reinstated former President Trump’s account after polling Twitter users about what he should do.
This past week, Musk also abruptly dissolved a Trust and Safety Council that Twitter had originally established in 2016.
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