Elon Musk's X has updated its privacy policy to ban users from publishing the names of people behind anonymous accounts after some users shared the alleged identity of an antisemitic cartoonist who used a pseudonym.
According to CNBC, this privacy policy change prohibits users from disclosing the real identities of individuals behind anonymous accounts without their consent.
Elon Musk's X Implements Ban Revealing the Names of Anonymous Users
In a post on X on Thursday, the social media company, formerly known as Twitter, said it strictly prohibits "the publication or posting of other people's private information without their express authorization and permission."
"This includes contexts suggesting abusive intent, harassment or incitement to harass, as well as the distribution of media that may lead to emotional or physical harm," it added.
The company further noted that the move is in line with its commitment to maintaining a safe and secure platform. While some X users welcomed the change as it could benefit others, such as anonymous dissidents in oppressive regimes, others expressed concerns about its potential implications.
Critics said this was another example of Elon Musk defending neo-Nazis, antisemites and white supremacists. They noted that the X owner has not only welcomed extremists in his platform but also boosted their conspiracies, engaged with their accounts, and even gone out of his way to protect them from scrutiny.
Since he bought the app in 2022, Musk has endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theories and reinstated antisemitic accounts that Twitter previously suspended for breaking its rules.
Musk has also suspended journalists and filed lawsuits against his critics while he continued to assert that X is dedicated to free speech.
Clinical instructor at the Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic Alejandra Caraballo, a vocal Musk critic, has denounced the new policy, writing on the rival platform Threads: "Twitter's policies have officially been changed to aid a neo nazi."
Elon Musk's X Reportedly Suspends Accounts That Exposes Neo-Nazi Cartoonist Stonetoss' Real Identity
X's latest policy change came a day after Wired reported that X suspended the accounts of some journalists and researchers who disclosed the possible identity of an antisemitic cartoonist who uses the pseudonym Stonetoss.
Stonetoss' comics, which feature colorful imagery with racist, homophobic, and antisemitic language, posted on X often garnered millions of views. Some depict antisemitic tropes and make light of tragedies such as transgender suicides.
Last week, the antifascist research group Anonymous Comrades Collective, in a post on X, claimed that Stonetoss was Hans Kristian Graebener, a man from Spring, Texas.
On Thursday, the Stonetoss account appealed to X users with "a direct line" to Elon Musk to help get the post removed. Hours later, the account linked to the Anonymous Comrades Collective was reportedly suspended, and the post was deleted.
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