Twitter Users Question Elon Musk's Commitment To 'Free Speech' After He Bans Account That Tracked His Jet
On November 6th, new Twitter owner Elon Musk declared he was so committed to the idea of free speech on the platform that he wouldn't ban @ElonJet, a gimmick account dedicated to updating the site on the location of his private jet using publicly available flight logs. Five weeks later, @ElonJet has now been banned.
The account appears to have not strayed from its commitment of simply showing the flight logs of Musk's jet, meaning it's unclear what changed Musk's or Twitter staff's mind between November 6th and now.
Earlier this week, the account's owner, Jack Sweeney, claimed his account was shadowbanned, citing a leaked screenshot of a message from Ella Irwin, Twitter’s former trust and safety leader, instructing employees on Slack to do just that.
Musk has had a long-standing gripe with the account. He once purportedly offered to pay Sweeney to remove the account, according to The New York Times.
While users on Twitter debated whether the account was a safety risk to Musk, its banning underlines what many felt is a pattern of Musk selectively choosing to silence his critics on Twitter and how his tolerance of "free speech" extends far more generously to conservatives and those who give him praise. That the account he once singled out as an example of the kind of Musk-critical "free speech" he'd allow on Twitter is now banned did not help his case.
After the suspension of @elonjet, it turns out the Twitter rules have been updated. pic.twitter.com/H8eQxPIRUX
— peasant cat (@CitiXen) December 14, 2022
So much for free speech. Musk has killed @ElonJet, which was using public aircraft data. I’m overwhelmingly empathetic to doxing and taking action, but there’s no valid argument this endangers anyone. pic.twitter.com/6ulHik2PfU
— Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) December 14, 2022
What I find most disturbing about Musk's Twitter takeover is his personal involvement. The account that posted video of him being booed with Chappelle disappeared in minutes, and now ElonJet is gone even after Musk had promised he wouldn't kill it. https://t.co/q89pF6k5tL
— Shadowy Cabal Enthusiast (@TheChandlerDude) December 14, 2022
ElonJet crossposted its content to Instagram and Facebook and still exists on those platforms, so if social media users really want to know where Musk's been flying to, they can take solace in the fact that Zuck hasn't killed the account yet.
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Misspelled Tiger
Musk said that a crazy stalker followed a vehicle carrying his son and then climbed the hood of the car, and hes taking legal action against Sweeney because of this.
Which feels like bullshit.
eixo
Twitter "question is" his commitment?
chausies
I can kinda see the argument. Assume it wasn't Musk, but average Joe, and someone kept posting on Twitter where he was going. I can imagine that might be construed as targeted harassment.
I've heard of cases of cyber-bullying where, in school Facebook groups, they keep following around a kid and harassing him. Even if all they did was post where that kid was going constantly (and not explicitly incite bullying), there's still a case that it's a tool for bullying and harassment, and Facebook has taken groups like that down before. So yeah, I can kind of see the reasoning.
And before you say "muh posting public information", where Joe goes around in public is also technically public information <.<.
Then again, it's okay because fuck Musk and his money, amirite? <.<
Ipecac
Elon Musk is definitely a "public figure" though.
Stolen from Wikipedia:
"In the context of defamation actions (libel and slander) as well as invasion of privacy, a public figure cannot succeed in a lawsuit on incorrect harmful statements in the United States unless there is proof that the writer or publisher acted with actual malice by knowing the falsity or by reckless disregard for the truth.[2] The legal burden of proof in defamation actions is thus higher in the case of a public figure than in the case of an ordinary person."
Revic
I actually can kind of understand considering it targeted harassment, though public figures should definitely be held to a different standard on that. But trying to double-dip painting oneself as a free speech martyr for not shutting it down, and then also shutting it down, is pretty clownshoes.
Focus
I agree completely with what you say and no I don't agree with "fuck Musk and his money, amirite?" that's not a valid reason to run 'elonjet.' The actual problem is Musk's blatant hypocrisy. He stated, specifically, that he would not shutdown this account because of his "principles" but now, lo and behold, he has. If he hadn't made this statement, very publicly, there wouldn't be an issue. That's how I see it, anyway. What's your thoughts on that?
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You've Yeed Your Last Haw
He is really trying to speedrun outzucking zuck