It was obvious that it would happen. It was only a matter of time before I lost my access to the social media platform he now owns, as a member of the media who reports critically on Musk.
Musk can suspend me from the platform but that doesn't mean he's an advocate for transparency or free speech.
If you haven't been following this latest development in the never-ending chaos that is Musk's Twitter, late Thursday night I was swept up in the social media platform's most recent round of seemingly arbitrary bannings. I'm in the same boat. Journalists from outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN were temporarily suspended from the platform for seven days.
What about the alleged violation? We violated the terms of service by posting Musk's exact real-time location.
That's not true when I post it.
I don't know what I should have done to run afoul of Musk and the official policies of the company. That part isn't clear.
On Wednesday, Musk banned the account that tracked the flights of the owner of the personal jet and the college student who created it. Musk said that people's real-time location data would be banned from being posted on the social networking site.
At the time of his suspension, he didn't break any of the rules. Due to his beliefs in free speech, Musk was fine with the account that was already on the platform. When Musk changed his mind, he didn't give Sweeney the chance to change how his accounts ran.
Musk claimed that his family was accosted by an alleged stalker who was following them in his car, insinuating that Sweeney's account was to blame.
CNN's Donie O' Sullivan shared a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. The statement said that no police report had been filed and that the Los Angeles Police Department had not heard from Musk. O' Sullivan was immediately suspended.
I took a picture of O' Sullivan's last message and posted it on my website, noting he had been suspended after it went live. My account was suspended as well.
That could have been the cause of my ban. On the same day that Musk sold off his stake in the company, I sent a message to shareholders assuring them that the company was a good long term investment. Maybe it was the many times I showcased the large gap between what Musk said and did.
The suspended users shared Musk's location with him. He doesn't require a reason.
That's what people need to remember from the past 50 days under Musk's ownership of the company. Musk can do what he wants with the platform. He has the option to suspend, shadowban, roll out, cancel or reverse policies.
The bans are at odds with Musk's vision. He wants to turn the platform into a free speech based one. Musk has exposed that mission statement as a smokescreen for his personal agenda by hiding my account and those of the other reporters.
I have supported some of his stated opinions. Users should not be permanently banned from the platform. Before I was suspended, I said this. Bans should give users time to follow the rules when they come back. If they don't, that should lead to another suspension.
I'm in favor of Musk's proposal for more transparency. The right to limit the reach of accounts is held by the social network. Musk likes this kind of moderation. Users should be aware of when their content is banned. They should be aware of why and what they can do to correct the situation.
All of the proposed policies are idealistic. Musk has made a lot of promises regarding the direction of the social network, but they haven't been fulfilled. Musk has a problem with consistency.
The debate about how to carry out the platform's various policies was criticized by Musk. Musk provided internal documents to journalists in order to expose the machinations of the "old regime." All we've seen so far from these files is internal discussions about how to best moderate content.
There is no longer room for that debate. Suspensions and new policies are enacted based on how he feels at the time.
All of this is free for Musk. If he wants, he can take your account down immediately. Regardless of how long your business has been on the platform, it doesn't matter. Tomorrow is the day it can be gone. There isn't an independent moderation body that can field user appeals. He said he would create one, but didn't. He doesn't have to make one. He's the owner of it.
The issue is that Musk is promoting his own free speech, which is contrary to what it is and what he is doing. He does not need to be fair. He is presenting himself as fair when that isn't the case. He's saying that there is free speech on the platform, but then banning it because it's legal.
When I look at my feed, my account is listed as permanently suspended. My account is currently in read only mode. I can see what my followers are saying, but I can't do anything with it. I've been on the social networking site since 2008 and have never been suspended or warned about my content. Prior to Oct. 28, 2022, the rules were pretty clear.
I have been critical of Musk in both my reporting and in my social media posts. I didn't post location-based data about anyone, including Musk, on any of the social media sites. I didn't link out to other platforms to spread this information. I haven't done that with other users' posts. I've written a lot about what Musk has been doing, including the situation with Elons Jet.
I can say that everything I've said on my account falls under one of the items listed here.
Mainstream media covers the media in one way or another.
The media and the accompanying text add value to the discussion.
The subject of the media is a person.
I'll be able to find out which of my posts violated the rules on the policy page so that other users can learn what Musk's new rules are.
What do you think about that? If your account hasn't been banned, does that mean you should quit? It's up to you. I think it's important to use the social media platform that you have. If my account is not suspended in seven days, I will use it again.
If you choose to stay, remember that these developments don't seem to show that the new owner is driven by free speech issues. The man is driven by his feelings. He will ban you for any reason.
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