Twitter had introduced that the corporate would “no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms.”
(AA Archive)
Twitter has introduced it might not enable customers to advertise their accounts on a number of rival social media platforms together with Facebook and Instagram, however the website’s mercurial proprietor Elon Musk appeared to backtrack on the brand new coverage simply hours later.
The sudden shift within the guidelines was the newest in a collection of controversial adjustments made by Musk since he took over the corporate in October — upheaval that has led a rising variety of customers to encourage followers to view their posts on different websites.
The unpredictable billionaire even put his future as Twitter’s CEO to a vote.
“Should I step down as head of Twitter?” he tweeted, asking the location’s customers to click on sure or no.
“I will abide by the results of this poll,” he added, with the vote open till the early hours of Monday.
Twitter had introduced that the corporate would “no longer allow free promotion of specific social media platforms.”
READ MORE: Elon Musk says Twitter suspended accounts of journalists for ‘doxxing’
‘Why?’
“At both the Tweet level and the account level, we will remove any free promotion of prohibited 3rd-party social media platforms, such as linking out (i.e. using URLs) to any of the below platforms on Twitter, or providing your handle without a URL,” the corporate defined in an announcement.
Users would thus be barred, for instance, from posting “Follow me @username on Instagram,” Twitter mentioned.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey questioned the brand new coverage with a one-word tweet: “Why?”
After some notable accounts had been suspended beneath the brand new coverage, together with tech investor Paul Graham, Musk tweeted that as an alternative of contemplating particular person tweets, the coverage can be restricted to “suspending accounts only when that account’s *primary* purpose is promotion of competitors.”
He later mentioned: “Going forward, there will be a vote for major policy changes. My apologies. Won’t happen again.”
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Changes beneath Musk
The transfer was the newest in a rising collection of controversies generated by Musk in his brief tenure on the helm of Twitter, together with layoffs, reinstatement of some far-right accounts and the suspension of a number of journalists.
Shortly after taking up the platform, he introduced the location would cost $8 monthly to confirm account holders’ identities, however needed to droop the “Twitter Blue” plan after an embarrassing rash of faux accounts. It has since been relaunched.
On November 4, with Musk saying the corporate was dropping $4 million a day, Twitter laid off half its 7,500-strong employees.
Musk additionally reinstated the account of former president Donald Trump and mentioned Twitter would not work to fight Covid-19 disinformation.
In latest days, he suspended the accounts of a number of journalists — most not too long ago, Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz — after complaining some had divulged particulars concerning the actions of his non-public jet that would endanger his household.
The suspension of the journalists — staff of CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post had been amongst these affected — has drawn sharp criticism, together with from the European Union and the United Nations.
The US Federal Trade Commission mentioned it was monitoring developments at Twitter “with deep concern.”
Washington Post govt editor Sally Buzbee mentioned the suspension of Lorenz’s account “further undermines Elon Musk’s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech.”
Some of the suspended accounts have since been reactivated.
READ MORE: So it wasn’t the tip of Twitter. But will the blue hen soar once more?
Source: AFP
