A social media giant has suspended Kathy Griffin for reportedly impersonating Elon Musk.
On Sunday, prominent comedian Kathy Griffin’s Twitter account was suspended after she impersonated Twitter’s new CEO, billionaire Elon Musk.
62-year old Griffin who is verified on Twitter, reportedly changed her profile name to “Elon Musk” despite her handle showing her own @kathygriffin name, which goes against the social media platform’s company’s policy against posers and impersonations.
Following the incident, the Tesla and The SpaceX founder released a statement, claiming that he was taking his role as a “Chief Tweet” seriously.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” Musk tweeted on Sunday night.
“Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue. Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark,” the new Twitter CEO lamented.
Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022
This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.
The recent suspension comes after Elon Musk addressed users creating fake accounts on Twitter, just weeks after he officially acquired Twitter for $44 billion following months of legal wrangling.
The billionaire also announced that he is launching an $8 monthly subscription service where any Twitter user may be able to easily attain a blue check mark symbol.
Previously, a simple blue mark was only used to verify notable figures, celebrities and influencers, government accounts, politicians, journalists and other vetted users.
“Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark,” Musk added in the series of tweets.
“The overhaul is designed in efforts to pay off company debt. Of Twitter’s nearly 237 million users, less than 450,000 accounts currently have the blue check mark symbols,” Fox Business revealed.
This controversy came just days after Musk reportedly fired a number of top executives at Twitter.
“So on his first day, Elon Musk fired a number of top executives at Twitter. Others have quit. And reports have been circulating that as many as half of all the people who work for Twitter could be laid off. What does all this turmoil mean for users on the platform?” NPR’s Leila Fadel speaking with Washington Post technology reporter Will Oremus.
“So Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion at a time when the market for digital advertising was much stronger and the economy in general was stronger. Analysts now think the company is probably worth about half that amount,” Oremus responded.
