It was unclear whether the journalists whose accounts have now been blocked had all reported via the @elonjet bot account.
(Photo: Reuters)
san francisco Billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk is again causing irritation with his actions as Twitter boss. The short message service blocked the accounts of several US journalists who recently reported on Musk. Musk wrote on Twitter that the journalists had violated the ban on the disclosure of personal information – called “doxxing”. “The same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else.” The federal government criticized the procedure on Friday and is considering taking action.
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin tweeted that freedom of the press should not be switched on and off at will: “We have a problem with that @Twitter”.
Deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann said the federal government’s stance was unchanged. “Although we are observing with growing concern what is happening on Twitter.” The federal government is observing this very closely and is asking itself what consequences it could draw from it. However, no decision has been made in this regard. There is currently no “red line” beyond which the government would cease its presence on Twitter, said Hoffmann, who used to work as a journalist for the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and the “Spiegel”.
Musk was referring to Wednesday’s suspension of the @elonjet account, a so-called bot account that automatically broadcasts real-time public information about Musk’s private jet movements. He threatened legal action against the operator because his son was being followed by a “crazy stalker”. “Criticizing me all day is perfectly fine, but posting my real-time location and endangering my family is not,” Musk tweeted Thursday.
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It was unclear whether the journalists whose accounts have now been blocked all reported on @elonjet. Among the suspended accounts is that of Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell. Harwell had written about Musk on the social media platform Mastodon and published links to freely accessible, legal data. Washington Post editor-in-chief Sally Buzbee said the suspension undercuts Musk’s claims that he operates Twitter as a free speech platform.
“Freedom of the press must not be switched on and off at will”
The accounts of New York Times reporter Ryan Mac and his CNN colleague Donie O’Sullivan were also blocked. Mac had reported on @elonjet and interviewed the operator of the account. Neither the reporter nor the New York Times received a statement from Twitter about the suspension, CNN said it had asked Twitter for a reason and would reevaluate its relationship with the platform based on the response.
The Foreign Office in Berlin also criticized the process on Friday. The ministry tweeted screenshots of the blocked accounts and wrote: “#Freedom of the press must not be switched on and off at will.” The journalists concerned could no longer follow the German foreign ministry, criticize it or comment on it. “We have a problem with that @Twitter.”
The deputy spokesman for the federal government, Wolfgang Büchner, spoke with “a personal note” on Twitter: “The arbitrary blocking of journalist accounts on @Twitter is unacceptable,” wrote the former editor-in-chief of the German press agency dpa and the “Spiegel”. . “If this development continues, I will leave this platform. You can find me on Mastodon Punkt Social under wbuechner.”
More: A German court demands that Twitter do more to delete inaccurate and offensive content. The verdict could have far-reaching consequences – also for other social media platforms.