Elon Musk asks Twitter users if he is resigning
(Washington) Elon Musk is asking Twitter users to decide whether to leave the rival social network after admitting he made a mistake in introducing new restrictions to ban mentions.
Twitter announced on Sunday that users will no longer be able to post links to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon and other platforms. But the move drew so much immediate criticism that Mr Musk vowed not to make any major policy changes without a user poll.
“Twitter no longer allows free promotion of certain social networks on Twitter,” the platform announced on Sunday.
Seven platforms were affected: Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Post and Nostr. As well as social media links like “linktr. er, link. organic”, it is noted.
For example, tweeting “Thank you for following me @Identifier on Instagram” was banned.
Highlighting his latest Instagram photo or Facebook post exposed a Twitter user to account suspension. And if he mentions any of his other accounts in his bio or name, the penalty is the same, the network warned.
“If the violation remains an isolated act or a first violation, we may take a number of actions, ranging from deleting one or more tweets to temporarily blocking accounts,” Twitter detailed.
But violators were warned: “Any repeat violation will result in permanent suspension.”
These new rules have been announced as many Twitter users have recently indicated that they are considering moving to other platforms, which likely worries the San Francisco-based company’s new boss.
The change caused a misunderstanding of Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of the Twitter company, which he left in 2021: “Why? “, he soberly tweeted.
Mr Musk confirmed his decision after some accounts, including those of investor Paul Graham, were suspended under the new policy. He tweeted that instead of targeting individual tweets, the policy would be limited to “suspending accounts only when that account’s ‘primary’ purpose is to promote competitors.”
He further claimed: “There will be a vote for major political changes in the future. My excuses. This will not happen again. »
Later, he even put his future as CEO of Twitter to a vote by the site’s users. “Should I leave Twitter management? he tweeted, asking them to click yes or no.
“I will respect the results of this poll,” he said, adding that voting was open until Monday morning.
As of 11:00 p.m. Sunday, more than 10 million people had voted, and about 56% of them wanted Elon Musk to step down.
“As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for because you might get it,” she tweeted after posting the survey.
Anxious
After the Tesla and SpaceX boss bought Twitter for $44 billion in late October, Elon Musk, a self-proclaimed defender of free speech, has raised concerns about moderation rules.
He deleted and then restored the accounts of several American journalists in recent days, CNN. New York Times and Washington post especially the reaction of the European Union and the UN. The vice president of the European Commission even threatened him with sanctions.
On Wednesday, the multibillionaire first suspended the @elonjet account that automatically reported the routes of his private jet, then the accounts of journalists who tweeted about the decision, accusing them of putting his family at risk.
These were restored on Saturday, but some said they needed to remove some posts if they wanted to fully use the platform.
And on Saturday evening, from a journalist’s Twitter account Washington postTaylor Lorenz, in turn, was suspended for several hours.
“Elon Musk suspended my Twitter account,” said a journalist covering the technology sector Washington post.
His account was restored on Sunday, and he tweeted at 12:38 p.m.
Mixed messages
The multi-billionaire head of the platform announced on Twitter earlier in the day that it was “temporarily suspended due to the earlier disclosure of personal information of this account.”
His tweet was in response to Eric Weinstein, managing director of Thiel Capital, founded by Donald Trump investor and supporter Peter Thiel, who asked him about the topic.
The journalist announced that he asked questions via Twitter for the article he wrote because he could not apply to Elon Musk through traditional channels.
“At 8:30 p.m. I tried to reach him on Twitter for comment,” he said, adding that when he later “rooted out” [à Twitter] to find out if he responded to our request [elle était] has been suspended. “I have not received any information from the company about the reasons for my termination or the conditions I violated. »
After Elon Musk took over Twitter, he sent mixed messages and reinstated previously banned accounts, including Donald Trump’s.
But he also suspended Kanye West’s message after several posts deemed anti-Semitic and refused to return to the platform of far-right assassin Alex Jones.
with Frédéric-Xavier Duhamel, Press
