Elon Musk's reign at Twitter has been tumultuous,lana sex videos to say the least. Verified fake accountsrunning amok. Advertisers leavingin droves. Nearly half the company so far has been laid off.
Yet Musk is tweeting through it, joking about the situation in replies with right-wing influencers and others who support him.
On Sunday, however, Musk took his Twitter fun and games one step further by taunting a sitting U.S. Senator on the platform.
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Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) posteda tweet on Friday requesting that Elon Musk explain what his company plans to do about all the fake accounts on Twitter. Since Musk's $8 Twitter Blue subscription allowed any paying users to become verified, Twitter has been filled with accounts impersonating major brands and individuals. Some companies have already left the platform over the issue.
Sen. Markey requestedthe information after a Washington Postreporter was able to create a fake verified account impersonating the Senator himself.
SEE ALSO: Surprise? Elon Musk's $8 Twitter Blue hasn't made very much money so far."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," Sen. Markey wrote. "Twitter must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again."
Musk repliedSunday morning: "Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?"
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"And why does your pp [profile pic] have a mask!?," Musk followed up, referencing the disposable surgical mask Sen. Markey is wearing in his Twitter avatar picture.
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Many of the repliesto Musk quickly pointedout that perhaps it's not in his best interest to feud with a sitting U.S. Senator who sits on the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Sen. Markey specifically sits on the Subcommittee on Communication, Media, and Broadband; the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security; and the Subcommittee on Space and Science – all of which could potentially provide regulatory oversight over Musk's many businesses such as Twitter, Tesla, and SpaceX.
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"Are you suggesting the Senator will abuse his political power to attack me?," Musk shot backat one of the replies.
Of course, that's not what people are suggesting. In fact, Senator Markey later replied to Musk's retort to make very clear what the issue is here.
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"One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online," Sen. Markey posted, quoting Musk's tweet. "Fix your companies. Or Congress will."
The Senator is referencing a 2011 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requirement that Twitter not establish policies or features that misrepresent “the extent to which it maintains and protects the security, privacy, confidentiality, or integrity of any nonpublic consumer information.” Twitter has previously paida $150 million fine for violating the FTC consent decree.
SEE ALSO: Can an $8 Twitter subscription bail out Elon Musk? Let's look at the numbers.“We are tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern,” an FTC spokesperson saidin a statementlast week. “No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees.”
Senator Markey also referenced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) ongoing investigationinto Tesla regarding rising car crashes that have occurred with drivers engaging in the vehicle's Autopilot feature.
Musk will likely continue on antagonizing those who criticize him on Twitter. Eventually, though, it just might catch up on him.
Topics X/Twitter Elon Musk Politics