Alex Bruno
Technology magnate Elon Musk recently poked fun at celebrities such as Alyssa Milano for expressing grave concerns about the alterations to Twitter’s identity verification process.
On Thursday, Milano inquired if she could legally pursue Musk due to the policy modification. “So by taking away my blue checkmark as I refused to pay some arbitrary fee, someone can now impersonate me and spew nonsense. Does this imply that Twitter and @elonmusk are responsible for libel, identity theft, or fraud?” Milano questioned.
Numerous people highlighted that with over 3 million followers, it is improbable that anyone would be deceived by a counterfeit account pretending to be Milano with significantly fewer followers.
Left-wing activist Ed Krassenstein came to Milano’s defense on Friday.
“The criticism directed at Alyssa Milano is unjust. She voiced a concern that many celebrities share,” tweeted Krassenstein.
“Regardless of whether you agree with Milano’s perspective, she raises decisions that nearly every celebrity faces,” he further stated.
Krassenstein continued, explaining that celebrities opted not to pay the $8.00 monthly fee to maintain verification as a stand against Elon Musk.
Musk reacted with humor, saying, “We’ve initiated a ‘rescue-a-celebrity fund’ to cover their $8. We consider this issue extremely important.”
We’ve started a “save-a-celebrity fund” to pay their $8. We take this matter very seriously.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023
Krassenstein believed that having the public cover the cost of celebrities’ blue checkmarks might be a viable solution to uphold their liberal values.
“LOL! Actually, this could be an answer, even though I’m uncertain if you’re being serious,” he replied. “It’s genuine,” Musk tweeted, accompanied by two laughing emojis.
🤣🤣 It’s a real thing
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023
Several celebrities and internet personalities have threatened to abandon Twitter entirely due to the policy shift.
Musk and his supporters have faced harsh criticism from the left following his acquisition of the widely-used social media platform for $44 billion, where he vowed to make the service more committed to upholding free speech principles.
In my opinion, the debate surrounding the policy change highlights the constant struggle between free speech, platform control, and the influence of celebrity voices in the digital age.
