It’s been widely reported that my suspension from X (Twitter) is only temporary. Those reports are false. My ban from X, the company says, is perman

My Twitter Ban Is Political - Ken Klippenstein

submited by

Style Pass

2024-09-28 12:30:06

It’s been widely reported that my suspension from X (Twitter) is only temporary. Those reports are false. My ban from X, the company says, is permanent.

The confusion arises from the media’s reliance on a rare statement issued yesterday by X announcing my “temporary suspension” — remarks X’s spokesperson has reiterated in discussion with the media.

X’s wordplay has insulated the company from backlash, so it’s not hard to imagine why they’re doing it. But X informed me privately that I was permanently banned from the platform, as you can see below. (This has not been reported anywhere.)

The two-step dance X is doing here — avoiding further backlash by pretending like my suspension is just a temporary thing, no big deal, while privately suspending me permanently — only makes sense when you consider the political dimensions.

Elon Musk is an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s political campaign. The Wall Street Journal reported that he promised $45 million a month for a pro-Trump Super PAC (Musk subsequently disputed this). So X clearly doesn’t want to give the appearance that my ban was politically motivated. But a careful look at the pretext X cites for my suspension makes it obvious that this is political.