Twitter account ban: Twitter bans 2 right-wing accounts as Elon Musk promotes free speech

San Francisco: Amid Elon Musk’s call for free speech, Twitter has suspended the accounts of two prominent conservative figures – Mike Lindell, chief executive of MyPillow, and Dr Vladimir “Zev” Zelenko.

The microblogging platform permanently suspended its accounts shortly after the duo joined it with the creation of new Twitter handles, for violating the platform’s rules against circumventing bans, reports The Verge.

Lindell was banned last year while Zelenko was banned in 2020.

Lindell was initially suspended for violating Twitter’s rules against election misinformation.

Zelenko, who promoted an unproven Covid-19 treatment, was banned for breaking rules on platform manipulation and spamming.

Twitter’s move came as Musk, who pulled off a $44 billion bid to acquire the platform, promoted free speech and less content moderation.

The world’s richest man first endorsed former US President Donald Trump’s social media app “Truth Social” by sharing its App Store ranking on his microblogging account.

He later openly criticized Twitter chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde for suspending the New York Post account that wrote an exclusive article about Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Musk had long advocated free speech on the platform, creating apprehensions for many as they fear the site will be left unregulated.

The billionaire said earlier that Twitter needed to remain politically neutral if it was to continue to enjoy the public’s trust.