Twitter supposedly allows parody and satire accounts on its platform. But those privileges seem to only apply to accounts mocking the GOP.
An account that parodied Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was suspended on May 6. The user, named Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Press Release, was “permanently suspended” because it was too similar to the Congressional representative’s account. According to the Washington Examiner, the man running the account, Michael Morrison, received an email explaining his permanent suspension and ominously saying, “This account will not be reinstated.”
Michael Morrison’s other account, OfficeOfMike, was also permanently suspended as being linked to the Ocasio-Cortez parody account. Morrison received an email from Twitter claiming rule violations as a reason for the suspension.
The email stated, “You may not register or create fake and misleading accounts. While you may use Twitter pseudonymously or as a parody, commentary, or fan account, you may not use misleading account information in order to engage in spamming, abusive, or disruptive behavior including attempts to manipulate the conversations on Twitter. You also may not ‘post duplicative or substantially similar content, replies, or mentions over multiple accounts or multiple duplicate updates on one account, or create duplicate or substantially similar accounts.’ This account will not be reinstated.”
Even though the account had the disclaimer (parody) in the username, it was still taken down. The account had 85,000 followers. Morrison had a following of 59,000 at the time of his own suspension.
Twitter has frequently taken down conservative parody accounts, including an account called Beto’s Journal that mocked former Democratic senate nominee Beto O’Rourke.
