Kathy Griffin was suspended from Twitter after using her account to impersonate Elon Musk. After Griffin and other people changed their display names to “Elon Musk,” the new Twitter chief tweeted that accounts that engage in impersonation will be permanently suspended.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, Musk said unless the impersonation is clearly a parody, the person behind it will be suspended. He also said there will no be warning before suspension, which was customary before.
Musk announced last week that those who want a blue check that verifies their account will now have to pay $7.99 a month, a subscription plan he is calling “Twitter Blue.”
The blue checks used to verify the identities of public figures on the platform. It appears anyone will be able to pay for a blue check now, which could lead to confusion and a rise in disinformation. A person who pays for blue check could, in theory, change their name on the platform and appear to be a verified celebrity.
However, Musk said changing the name of a verified account could lead to a temporary loss of the blue check.
Griffin had changed her display name and her profile picture to a photo of Musk, she told Bloomberg. Those who didn’t look close would assume it was Musk’s account.
After being suspended, Griffin posted on Mastodon, an alternative social media platform. “I guess not ALL the content moderators were let go? Lol,” she joked.
Musk also commented on Griffin’s suspension with a dig at the comedian. When someone tweeted that Griffin was suspended for impersonating Musk, he replied: “Actually, she was suspended for impersonating a comedian.”
