Democratic senator grills Twitter after reporter creates verified account impersonating him: 'Unacceptable'
Sen. Ed Markey says Twitter Blue enabled a reporter to impersonate him
Biden comments on whether Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter is a threat to democracy: 'Worth being looked at'
President Joe Biden discusses Elon Musk's recent acquisition of Twitter at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
Sen. Ed Markey is calling for answers from Twitter chief Elon Musk after he said a reporter for The Washington Post created a fake account in his name.
The reporter apparently successfully obtained the handle @realedmarkey, with Twitter noting the account was verified because it belonged to a "notable person in government."
"A @washingtonpost reporter was able to create a verified account impersonating me – I’m asking for answers from @elonmusk who is putting profits over people and his debt over stopping disinformation. Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again," Markey tweeted Friday.
The Massachusetts Democrat wrote in a letter directed to the SpaceX founder demanding that the company explain procedures in place for its "blue checkmark" verification process.
TWITTER ANNOUNCES NEW 'OFFICIAL' LABEL AS MUSK SAYS PLATFORM HIT ALL-TIME HIGH OF ACTIVE USERS
Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee called out Twitter's "lax verification practices and apparent need for cash," and noted that he had previously verified his actual account under the handle @SenMarkey.
Recent changes, Markey asserted, undermine the ability for users to be critical consumers of news and information on the platform and risk the spread of disinformation.
"Safeguards such as Twitter’s blue checkmark once allowed users to be smart, critical consumers of news and information in Twitter’s global town square," the senator wrote. "But your Twitter takeover, rapid and haphazard imposition of platform changes, removal of safeguards against disinformation, and firing of large numbers of Twitter employees have accelerated Twitter’s descent into the Wild West of social media. That is unacceptable. Twitter and its leadership have a responsibility to the public to ensure the platform doesn’t become a breeding ground for manipulation and deceit."
FILE PHOTO: Twitter app is seen on a smartphone in this illustration taken, July 13, 2021. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration//File Photo / Reuters Photos)
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Markey's questions for Musk – following the social media platform's termination of Twitter Blue – include what the process for issuing verification on an account that is "notable in government, news, entertainment, or another designated category" is, the process for issuing the verification, how those processes differ from the previous verification process, how Twitter's system allows a reporter to obtain verification of a fake account and whether it is planning to reintroduce a verification system.
Tesla founder Elon Musk attends Offshore Northern Seas 2022 in Stavanger, Norway, Aug. 29, 2022. (NTB/Carina Johansen via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)
He's not the only one with similar concerns as countless other figures and companies have been portrayed by users who purchased the Twitter Blue accounts.
Yoel Roth – Twitter's head of trust and safety – resigned on Thursday.
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Musk has previously tweeted that he wants Twitter to become the most accurate source of information about the world.
Fox Business' request for comment from Twitter was not immediately returned.