On Sunday, Sen. Ed Markey issued a threat to Elon Musk after the world’s wealthiest man insulted the Massachusetts Dem. for fussing about Twitter impersonations.
After Musk took over Twitter, he gave users a blue verified checkmark provided they paid $8 per month for “Twitter Blue.” However, the service was immediately exploited, resulting in a flood of impersonations. Twitter has since stopped issuing blue checkmarks.
What did Markey have to say?
Markey wanted answers from Musk regarding Twitter’s authentication procedure after he and a Washington Post journalist conspired to construct a Twitter account imitating him.
It worked considering all you required was a credit card to buy the blue checkmark. And Markey was displeased.
Markey requested answers from Musk in a letter for the “careless imposition” of modifications to Twitter, claiming that “enabling an imposter to imitate a U.S. Senator on Twitter is a major concern that you need to handle swiftly.” Of course, Markey omitted to mention in his letter that he had granted the Washington Post reporter permission to impersonate him.
Markey then called attention to his concern by accusing Musk of “placing profits over individuals and his debt over eliminating disinformation” on Twitter.
How did Musk react?
Musk reacted to Markey on Sun., accusing him of being a “parody” and mocking him for using a face mask in his profile pic.
“Perhaps because your actual account sounds like a parody?” Musk laughed.
“And why is your pp wearing a mask!” he exclaimed.
What was Markey’s reaction?
Markey attacked Musk, implying that Congress would “fix” his businesses.
“One of your businesses is subject to an FTC consent decree. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probing another one for killing people,” Markey answered. “And you spend your time online picking arguments.”
“Repair your businesses. Or Congress will,” he warned.
Markey was referring to the likelihood that Musk had broken the terms of his consent agreement with the FTC. The FTC has yet to make a statement on the subject.
