Elon Musk said it was “inspiring to see the press’s love for free speech.” (a file)
Today Elon Musk chose to respond with sarcasm to criticism for suspending half a dozen journalists from Twitter. Days after several journalists from high-profile organizations like CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post lost access to their accounts without any warning, Musk tweeted about “freedom of expression” for the press.
So it is inspiring to see the newfound love for freedom of expression on the part of the press
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2022
The world’s richest man tweeted: “It’s inspiring to see the newfound love for freedom of expression by the press.”
Musk, who took over Twitter in October and took it privately, accused the reporters of endangering his family. What sparked this latest controversy was the suspension of an account that had been tracking his private jet. The move was necessary, said Musk, who appeared to blame the account tracking his plane after a “crazy stalker” tracked down a car carrying one of his children in Los Angeles.
Some journalists had reported hanging up the flight tracker, which Musk said were “assassination coordinates” for his family, but he provided no evidence for his claim.
“Any account that captures real-time location information of anyone will be suspended, as it is a violation of physical integrity. This includes posting links to sites that contain real-time location information. It is not something that someone has traveled to on a slight delay basis,” he said yesterday. .
Interestingly, Musk tweeted a survey asking users if they should “unsuspend accounts that exposed my exact real-time location.” The winning choice is “now” with 43 percent of the vote.
Unsuspending accounts who have pinpointed my exact location in real time
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2022
Given that Musk revived the suspended accounts of former US President Donald Trump and others after a similar poll, any further development regarding the suspension of journalists awaits him.
“If anyone posts the locations and addresses of New York Times reporters in real time, the FBI will investigate, there will be hearings on Capitol Hill, and Biden will give speeches about the end of democracy!” The billionaire tweeted again, responding to the poll.
Twitter recently revealed a policy update prohibiting the sharing of live location information.
This week, Musk lost the top spot on the global rich list to Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, the parent company of luxury brand Louis Vuitton. This, after he sold $3.6 billion worth of Tesla stock. He has so far raised $20 billion selling his shares in his electric car company.
The latest reports suggest that Twitter is also looking for new equity investors.
Featured video of the day
Bharat Gudo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi completes 100 days
