Twitter Parody Accounts Face the Music

The richest person in the world and the new owner of Twitter, Elon Musk, has told those accounts that are mimicking others, to include the word “parody” in their names rather than adding it only in their bios.

Tesla’s CEO is attempting to create guidelines after a torrent of fake yet verified accounts stormed Twitter this week as a result of the company’s implementation of the $8 per month verification policy.

Going forward, accounts engaged in parody must include “parody” in their name, not just in bio

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 11, 2022

In a bid to curb the spread of parody accounts, he said that the users who are impersonating anyone, particularly famous personalities, have to add the word “parody” in their names. Otherwise, Twitter will permanently remove those accounts if they do not comply.

He further asserted, “tricking people is not okay,” while referring to those who mimicked famous people and brands, including LeBron James, George Bush, Nintendo, etc.

Note here that the majority of the parody accounts contained the real name of the person or company in their Twitter handles. On top of that, they also received a verified blue tick after Musk launched a subscription fee for it, making them indistinguishable from the original accounts.

Earlier, Twitter permanently suspended the account of Hollywood actress and comedian, Kathy Griffin, for parodying Elon Musk on the micro-blogging platform.

Following her suspension, the CEO of Twitter sarcastically referred to himself and stated that her account was removed on account of “impersonating a comedian.”