Following journalists Twitter accounts suspension, Musk backs down

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Elon Musk announced late Friday that he would reinstate the Twitter accounts of several journalists who had been suspended after he accused them of putting his family in danger.

After suspending the accounts of more than a half-dozen prominent journalists from the New York Times, CNN, and the Washington Post, he drew ire and warnings from the EU and the UN. "The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now," the Twitter owner tweeted.

The people have spoken.

Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now. https://t.co/MFdXbEQFCe

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2022

Musk conducted a Twitter poll to determine whether he should restore the suspended accounts immediately or in a week's time. Almost 59% of the 3.69 million people who voted said he should restore the accounts right away.

Some of the suspended accounts appeared to be reactivated, including former Vox journalist Aaron Rupar, who began tweeting again. "I was pretty bummed about getting suspended initially but quickly realized it'd be fine because I'm blessed to have an amazing online community," Rupar tweeted, thanking people for their support.

Hey @ElonMusk, why did you suspend journalist Aaron Rupar? How is that consistent with your stated commitment to free speech?

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 16, 2022

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The latest controversy erupted on Wednesday, when Musk suspended @elonjet, an account that tracked the flights of his private plane.

Musk said the move was necessary after a car carrying one of his children was followed by "a crazy stalker" in Los Angeles, and he appeared to blame the incident on the tracking of his jet.

Furthermore, some journalists had reported on the affair, including tweets linking to the suspended @elonjet account, which Musk said amounted to offering "assassination coordinates" against him and his family.

Musk had provided no evidence for his claim, in a chat hosted live on Twitter, but told some of the suspended reporters that on Twitter "everyone's going to be treated the same... they're not special because you're a journalist."

He ended the conversation after being pressed further on his allegations. Twitter Spaces, the feature where the chat took place, was then suspended.

Musk's move to suspend the journalists' accounts had drawn sharp criticism from media organizations, the European Union, and the UN. "News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying," EU commissioner Vera Jourova posted on Twitter, warning the influential platform could face hefty fines through European laws.

"Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon," she added.

The spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres called it a "dangerous precedent at a time when journalists all over the world are facing censorship, physical threats and even worse."