Twitter has said it will now permanently suspend impersonators’ accounts without warning if they are not clearly labeled as ‘parody’.
The company’s new owner, Elon Musk disclosed this in a Twitter thread on Monday morning.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” he said.
“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.”
Justifying the $8 monthly fee for the Twitter blue checkmark, Musk said widespread verification would “democratise journalism and empower the voice of the people.”
Musk also said he won’t ban the Twitter account that tracks his private jet.
He said the decision shows his “commitment to free speech” even though the account poses a “direct personal safety risk”.
“My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk,” Musk said.
“Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission.”