Musk says anyone who shared their personal location and was then suspended “will immediately regain access to the account.”
Revolt on the platform
Musk’s announcement comes on the heels of a troubled few days on the platform that began with the suspension of @elonjet, a Twitter account that tracked the flight details of Musk’s private jet.
Subsequently, journalists, working for, among others Cnn in The New York Times, temporarily banned from the platform by Musk. The billionaire claimed to have endangered the safety of his family by writing, sometimes indirectly, about the location of his plane.
Fierce criticism
The suspensions have been met with fierce criticism on Twitter internationally. The United Nations has declared itself “deeply concerned”, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an organization that works for freedom of the press, has spoken of “a threat to democracy” and media organizations and several countries have also condemned the move. The European Commission has warned the social media platform that arbitrary decisions are not permitted under the new Digital Services Act (DSA) and could lead to penalties.
Musk’s move was all the more notable as he called “free speech a great good” shortly after taking over Twitter. He even specifically cited the @ElonJet account as an example at the time. “This can stay, even if it endangers my own safety,” he rang.
“We are deeply concerned about the arbitrary suspension of journalists’ Twitter accounts. Media voices must not be silenced on a platform that claims to be an area of freedom,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday. “The decision sets a dangerous precedent at a time when which journalists around the world face censorship, physical threats and worse”.
