After suspending the accounts of a dozen US journalists, accused of sharing the location of the private jet of the new social media owner, Elon Musk, on the platform, Twitter also suspended the social media account which perhaps more than others has been identified as its main competitor at the moment: Mastodon.
The account hasn’t been active for a few hours. Furthermore, the social network made it impossible to share links from Mastodon on Twitter. At the moment it is not clear why. The latest posts published on the account @joinmastodon they didn’t appear to have violated any of Musk’s platform policies. Everything is silent from Twitter’s headquarters at the moment.
Among the accounts of journalists suspended by Twitter there are some that are very popular and followed. How Ryan Mac of the New York Times, one of the most respected technology journalists, and Donie O’Sullivan of CNN. Together with them, Drew Harwell del Washington Post, Micha Lee di The Intercept, Matt Binder by Mashable, Aaron Rupar e Tony Webster.
Snowden attacks Musk and demands that the accounts be reinstated
Edward Snowden, the consultant to the American National Security Agency who in 2013 revealed to the world an extensive mass surveillance program by the American government, on Twitter asks to free up the accounts of journalists (referring to one in particular, the reporter of The Intercept ). He then turns to Musk: “You are a public figure, in a position of power, in a world where even normal people are constantly monitored.”
Last night Musk joined a conversation streamed on Twitter Space to try to explain the reason for his choice. Reasons then summarized in a tweet: “Criticizing me is fine, sharing my positions in public endangers me and my family”.
Musk and the poll that doesn’t go as he would like
Shortly after, he launched a survey asking his followers when to readmit journalists. In the beginning there were 4 options. Now, tomorrow, in seven days and longer. The results of that survey gave the first option as the most chosen. After an hour, however, Musk decided to cancel that poll because it had too many options, replacing it with another one with only two choices: now or in seven days.
A choice that has raised many criticisms. After the suspension of the @ElonJet account, which accounted for the movements of his private jet, Musk gave more than ever the feeling of moving in a completely arbitrary way in the management of the social network that he has just purchased.
If the suspension of that account could seem in some way motivated by reasons of personal safety, the ban of critical journalists first and of Mastodon has created disagreements even among people who have supported him up to now.