SNEAK PEEK
- X Corp seized “Music” and “X” Twitter handles under Musk’s ownership.
- Musk’s vision for X.com includes becoming half the global financial system.
- The Center for Countering Digital Hate criticized Musk’s handling of disinformation.
In a move with ruffled feathers, Elon Musk’s X Corp has taken control of popular Twitter handles, beginning with “X” and now “Music.” Consequently, Jeremy Vaught, the original owner of the 16-year-old Music account, has found himself without his beloved handle.
16 years ago, I created @music and have been running it ever since. Just now, Twitter / X just ripped it away.
Super pissed pic.twitter.com/ctacWKY9js— Jeremy Vaught (@jeremyvaught) August 3, 2023
Besides the initial shock, Vaught’s frustration was apparent as he tweeted the company’s email that detailed the seizure. They offered replacement handles like “musicfan” or “music123,” which Vaught claimed were already taken.
Significantly, this is not the first time that the newly rebranded company, now under the control of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has seized a valuable Twitter name. Just last week, a photographer in San Francisco had the handle “X” taken by the company.
Moreover, since Musk bought Twitter last year, the platform has undergone numerous changes. Besides transforming Twitter into X.com, Musk has expressed a desire to make it an “everything app,” akin to China’s WeChat. However, this vision has not been universally welcomed.
“X would serve people’s financial needs to such a degree that over time it would become, maybe half of the global financial system,” Musk explained in a recent interview.
According to reports, the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate has raised concerns over the spread of hate and disinformation on the platform under Musk’s ownership. Contrastingly, Twitter has sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate, accusing them of making false claims about the platform’s content.
