Tech billionaire Elon Musk faced censorship accusations from fellow conservatives on Friday after several prominent right-wing accounts criticized Musk’s views on immigration said they were subsequently unable to use advanced features on Musk’s social media app X.
At least 14 conservative accounts said late Thursday or Friday that X had revoked their blue verification badges, cutting off their access to a variety of premium features, including revenue from subscriptions and ads, according to a review Share the ability to monetize your account. Some reports say the number of people affected is much higher.
The accounts remained active Friday but were unable to use monetization features; some said they were concerned about their ability to continue posting.
Some conservatives said they viewed X’s actions as a betrayal by Musk, who in 2022 bought the service then called Twitter in part because he said Unfairly restrict conservative speech. Musk has since called himself an advocate for free speech, although he Calls for some of his critics to be jailed.
Musk and X did not respond to requests for comment on Friday. But on Thursday night, about an hour before some conservatives began complaining about losing access to X’s advanced features, Musk posted what he called a “reminder” on X. or mute.
“If more trusted, verified subscriber accounts (rather than bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decrease significantly,” Musk release.
But far from satisfying those who complained about censorship, the post sparked more accusations that Musk was shadowbanning his conservative critics or failing to formally disclose such behavior to affected accounts. reduce engagement on their posts.
X’s action takes place in Fierce debate online Anti-immigration ‘MAGA’ loyalists denounce pro-immigration tech executives and investors like Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy over future immigration policies under President-elect Donald Trump influence.
Many of the affected accounts said they were affiliated with a media brand, specifically ConservativeOG.
Preston Parra, a 23-year-old influencer and head of ConservativeOG, said he viewed X’s actions as a “political crackdown” in retaliation for publicly disagreeing with Musk’s pro-immigration views.
He said he plans to continue confronting Musk not only to restore his senior functions but also to ensure that Trump pursues restrictionist immigration policies.
“If anyone thinks the true backbone of the right and MAGA will stand idly by while these Silicon Valley tech billionaires who weren’t bullied enough in high school steal our country, they are wrong,” Parra said in a text message. He said he considered Musk a “Trojan horse” in the Trump camp.
Shortly after the November 5 election, Trump announced with great fanfare that Musk and Ramaswamy would lead a new “Department of Government Effectiveness.” But in recent days, after venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan was announced as a White House artificial intelligence policy adviser, Trump’s tech allies — including Musk and Ramaswamy — Because of his prior involvement in or involvement in legal immigration.
Musk is an immigrant, born and raised in South Africa. He became a U.S. citizen in 2002.
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