JAKARTA - Elon Musk reportedly suspended several journalists' accounts on his social media, Twitter. Many claim that this step marks Musk preventing free speech by censoring the press on his platform.
The account of the permanently suspended journalist belongs to Donie O'Sullivan of CNN International, Ryan Mac of The New York Times, banyan Harwell of The Washington Post, Micah Fleet of The Intercept, and Steve Herman of Voice of America (VoA).
There are also independent journalist Aaron Rupar, as well as Mashable reporter Matt Binder and other journalists who cover Musk aggressively in recent weeks.
It is not clear what caused the suspension of this mass account. Later Musk explained via his Twitter, which claimed the journalists were involved in doxxing.
"The account involved in doxxing received a temporary suspension of 7 days," Musk tweeted.
Doxxing refers to the practice of sharing someone's home address or other personal information online. This means that these journalists have violated Twitter's security policy of sharing locations directly, even if they don't.
Launching CNN International, Saturday, December 17, the ban raises a number of questions about the future of the platform, which has been called a digital city square. With Musk censoring journalists on Twitter, raising serious questions about Musk's commitment to free speech.
Responding to Musk's actions in suspending journalists, vice president of value and transparency at the European Union Commission (EU), Vera Journova threatened to impose sanctions on Twitter, citing the EU's Digital Service Act (DSA) passed in November and will take effect in 2023.
"The news about the arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying. The European Union's Digital Service Act requires respect for media freedom and basic rights. This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct," Journova tweeted.
News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying. EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct. @elonmusk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.
— Věra Jourová (@VeraJourova) December 16, 2022
One of the core goals of DSA is to protect freedom of expression in cyberspace and to ensure platform terms and conditions are clear, understandable and transparent.
Users also have the right to file complaints and compensation for content moderation decisions. Online platforms that do not comply with this action can face penalties within the EU, including money fines and temporary suspension of services.
Citing Mashable, an arbitrary suspension refers to the fact that a tweet from a suspended journalist's account did not violate Twitter's policy.
Binder (Mashable), said he was suspended late Thursday after sharing screenshot tweets from O'Sullivan (CNN) who had just been suspended.
The screenshot is an official Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) statement regarding an incident that Elon Musk tweeted about last Wednesday that led him to suspend ElonJet and its creator Jack way.
"I did not share any location data, in accordance with Twitter's new provisions. links to ElonJet or other location tracking accounts," said Binder.
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