Staff Reports
In response to Elon Musk's policies, Elton John said he was leaving Twitter. He made a short statement to his followers on Friday.
All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world.
I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.— Elton John (@eltonofficial) December 9, 2022
Shortly after, Elon Musk responded to Elton John on Twitter and asked the musician to provide more details about his claims about misinformation on the platform.
I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
Shortly after Musk took over Twitter, the company said it would no longer enforce its previous policy on misinformation about COVID-19.
In 2020, the platform had prohibited posts that contradicted the information provided by "authoritative sources." It also removed content that promoted misleading or harmful information about the vaccines.
Since taking over Twitter, Musk has been vocal about his desire to restore free speech on the platform. His takeover in October resulted in the departure of celebrities such as Shonda Rhimes, who is the creator of Grey's Anatomy.
Some fans of Elton John expressed their sadness over the musician's decision to leave Twitter. Others criticized him for his actions.
One of the artists who criticized Elton John was musician Fives Times August. He said that the musician had a chance to stand up to the establishment and criticized him for joining the "regime." He also said that he was sad to see other artists follow suit.
Another musician, British DJ Lange, criticized the musician's decision to leave Twitter. He was also reacting to the latest dump of Twitter Files, which showed that a Stanford doctor had been blacklisted after he said that lockdowns would cause children to get sick.
Many people, including journalist Jim Stinson, wondered why Elton John would be against censorship. He said that he thought the musician would stand up for free speech during the 1970s.
