On Sunday night, comedian Kathy Griffin and YouTuber Ethan Klein were suspended from Twitter for violating the platform’s impersonation rules.
New Twitter owner Elon Musk followed up on a previously updated policy Sunday evening, announcing “Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended.”
The policy is a condition for Twitter Blue subscribers to ensure accurate account verification. Verified accounts temporarily lose their verification status upon changes to their account name, Musk announced.
Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2022
Following the announcement, high-profile verified account holders Griffin and Klein changed their Twitter name and profile photo to mimic Musk’s account in violation of the platform’s new impersonation policy. Musk joked Griffin was suspended for “impersonating a comedian.” He further notes she could have her account back back “for $8.”
Actually, she was suspended for impersonating a comedian
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
Shortly after her suspension, Griffin began tweeting from her deceased mother’s account, tweeting “#FreeKathy,” later taking to Mastodon, a Twitter alternative, commenting on her suspension from the platform.
“Hooboy! Elon just tweeted me on [my mother’s] Twitter account,” said Griffin. “HE’S SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN.”
Klein’s account was also suspended shortly after Griffin.
BREAKING: Twitter has now suspended @h3h3productions for impersonating Elon Musk. pic.twitter.com/7Zj02RA5hv
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 7, 2022
While Griffin tweeted support for Democratic candidates while impersonating Musk, Klein made a joke suggesting the tech billionaire and infamous Jeffrey Epstein were friends.
“Even though Jeffery Epstein committed horrible crimes, I do still miss him on nights like this for his warmth and camaraderie. Rest In Peace old friend.”
Klein posted a video on TikTok early Monday morning commenting on his suspension.
@ethankleinh3 Ive been banned on twitter thanks to #elonmusk
“Comedy is dead and Elon Musk dug the grave,” said Klein. “Shame on you.”
Musk shared a series of posts throughout Sunday regarding his intention to ensure free speech on the platform. He noted the widespread verification of users would “democratize journalism & empower the voice of the people.”
“Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission,” said Musk Sunday night. “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 continued in a followed up post.
“At the end of the day, if Twitter is indeed the most accurate source of information, more people will use it,” Musk reiterated late Sunday night in response to journalist Ian Miles Cheong who noted failures of Wikipedia and legacy media regarding information accuracy.
On Monday morning, Musk posted a link to Twitter’s terms of service noting they would evolve over time. According to Twitter’s impersonation policy in regards to parody and fan accounts, users must “distinguish” the profile as such in both their account name and profile bio. Users sharing the same name, username, or similar appearance with no other commonalities are not in violation of the company’s policy.
“The high-level principle is just that verified users can’t engage in malicious deception,” Musk clarified.
