Elon Musk faces growing anger over Twitter ban on journalists
The suspensions, which have been criticized by US and European lawmakers, could increase regulatory pressure on the social media platform - and other companies of Elon Musk.
Elon Musk faced a growing backlash Friday from lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic, with threats of fines and of sanctions, after Twitter suspended the accounts of at least eight journalists on Thursday without warning.
The suspended accounts included those belonging to Ryan Mac of The New York Times, Donie CNN's O'Sullivan and Washington Post's Drew Harwell. It was unclear what the suspensions had in common.
The silencing of important voices could increase regulatory pressure on Twitter, and possibly other M companies. Musk, including Tesla and SpaceX. , which is a major recipient of government funding and projects. It could also hurt its efforts to bring reluctant advertisers back to the platform.
This action sparked a wave of protests. News outlets including The Times and CNN demanded that Mr. Musk explain his rationale. Supporters of the journalists argued on Twitter that the move was too punitive.
European Union lawmakers could go on the offensive. Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission, said the move violated the EU's Digital Services Act and its Media Freedom Act.
"There are red lines. And penalties, soon," she tweeted Friday morning.
The recently ratified Digital Services Act serves as a some sort of content moderation regulation for companies operating in the bloc, which will come into effect next year and will result in a fine of 6% of global revenue for companies that break the rules.
Representative Lori Trahan, a Massachusetts Democrat and a member of the House Committee on Electronic Communications and the Internet, also expressed dismay at Twitter's decision, tweeting Thursday that she had this week received assurances from the company that she had no intention on retaliation against journalists or independent researchers who critically cover Mr. Musk and Twitter.
"Less than 12 hours later, several technology reporters were suspended . What's the problem, @elonmusk? she wrote.
The measures came a day after Twitter suspended more than two dozen other accounts, including an account belonging to Jack Sweeney, the 20-year-old student behind @elonjet, who tracked the movements of Mr. Musk's private life...
The suspensions, which have been criticized by US and European lawmakers, could increase regulatory pressure on the social media platform - and other companies of Elon Musk.
Elon Musk faced a growing backlash Friday from lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic, with threats of fines and of sanctions, after Twitter suspended the accounts of at least eight journalists on Thursday without warning.
The suspended accounts included those belonging to Ryan Mac of The New York Times, Donie CNN's O'Sullivan and Washington Post's Drew Harwell. It was unclear what the suspensions had in common.
The silencing of important voices could increase regulatory pressure on Twitter, and possibly other M companies. Musk, including Tesla and SpaceX. , which is a major recipient of government funding and projects. It could also hurt its efforts to bring reluctant advertisers back to the platform.
This action sparked a wave of protests. News outlets including The Times and CNN demanded that Mr. Musk explain his rationale. Supporters of the journalists argued on Twitter that the move was too punitive.
European Union lawmakers could go on the offensive. Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission, said the move violated the EU's Digital Services Act and its Media Freedom Act.
"There are red lines. And penalties, soon," she tweeted Friday morning.
The recently ratified Digital Services Act serves as a some sort of content moderation regulation for companies operating in the bloc, which will come into effect next year and will result in a fine of 6% of global revenue for companies that break the rules.
Representative Lori Trahan, a Massachusetts Democrat and a member of the House Committee on Electronic Communications and the Internet, also expressed dismay at Twitter's decision, tweeting Thursday that she had this week received assurances from the company that she had no intention on retaliation against journalists or independent researchers who critically cover Mr. Musk and Twitter.
"Less than 12 hours later, several technology reporters were suspended . What's the problem, @elonmusk? she wrote.
The measures came a day after Twitter suspended more than two dozen other accounts, including an account belonging to Jack Sweeney, the 20-year-old student behind @elonjet, who tracked the movements of Mr. Musk's private life...
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