Elon Musk to restore suspended Twitter accounts of journalists after global backlash
- Musk accused the journalists of posting his real-time location, which is ‘basically assassination coordinates’ for his family
- Government officials and journalism organisations in several countries condemned the suspensions, saying the platform was jeopardising press freedom
“The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now,” he tweeted.
Musk carried out a Twitter poll asking whether he should restore the suspended accounts now or in a week’s time. Nearly 59 per cent of the 3.69 million who took part said he should restore the accounts now.
The suspensions on Thursday evening drew criticism from government officials, advocacy groups and journalism organisations in several parts of the world, with some saying the microblogging platform was jeopardising press freedom.
Officials from France, Germany, Britain and the European Union condemned the suspensions.
The episode, which one well known security researcher labelled the “Thursday Night Massacre,” is being regarded by critics as fresh evidence of the billionaire, who considers himself a “free speech absolutist,” eliminating speech and users he personally dislikes.