Elon Musk announced this Saturday on his Twitter account that the accounts of several journalists who had been suspended from the social network will be restored.
Reporters from the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post were among those who had their accounts blocked Thursday night after Musk accused them of sharing his location data.
But amid mounting criticism, the businessman asked Twitter users what to do next.
The poll found that almost 59% of the 3.6 million who participated voted to lift the ban immediately.
“People have spoken. Accounts that revealed my location will be lifted now,” he tweeted.
Doxxing is a term used to refer to the disclosure of individuals’ private information on the Internet.
Legal actions
However, one of the accounts, @ElonJet, remains suspended.
The account’s owner, Jack Sweeney, 20, used publicly available flight tracking information to tweet every time Musk’s plane took off and landed.
Musk blamed the account for an incident involving “a crazy stalker” who he said had accosted his son while she was riding in a car.
On Thursday, Musk said legal action was being taken against Sweeney and others.
Twitter’s privacy policy was also updated to state that users “may not post other people’s private information without their express authorization and permission.”
Some of the suspended journalists on Twitter had reported on the incident involving the aircraft tracking account.
Reactions
Following the suspensions, organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations, as well as governments and journalists, condemned the measure.
“Press freedom is not a toy,” said Melissa Fleming, UN assistant secretary-general for global communications.
The official said she was “deeply disturbed” that journalists’ accounts were being “arbitrarily” suspended on Twitter.
“A free press is the cornerstone of democratic societies and a key tool in the fight against harmful misinformation.”
Also on Friday, European Union Commissioner Vera Jourova threatened Twitter with sanctions under Europe’s new Digital Services Law, which she said requires “respect for press freedom and fundamental rights.” .
“Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And, soon, there will be sanctions,” she wrote.
Since he took over Twitter, Musk has made a number of changes to the social network’s moderation practices.
He has restored a handful of previously banned accounts, including the profile of former US President Donald Trump, who was suspended following the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill.
Tesla’s CEO has also cut staff at the social media company.