(Reclaim The Net) Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has called on Congress to pass new legislation to regulate social media after Elon Musk ignored his demand letter.
On November 11, Markey sent a letter to Musk asking about the new paid account verification feature. The first rollout of Twitter Blue made it easier for users to impersonate politicians, celebrities, and brands. The Washington Post was able to create a verified account of Senator Markey.
After Markey shared a copy of the letter on Twitter and highlighted that The Post was able to impersonate him, Musk joked with him, writing: “Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody.” A few hours later, Musk wrote, “And why does your pp have a mask!?”
The billionaire was referring to Markey’s profile picture, which shows him in a face covering.
Markey later threatened the Tesla owner: “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. Fix your companies. Or Congress will.”
Musk had until November 25 to respond to Markey’s letter, which he did not.
