Elon Musk, the renowned tech mogul, found himself at the center of controversy on Friday when accusations of censorship emerged from a faction of conservative voices. These individuals claimed that after voicing disagreements with Musk’s immigration views, they suddenly lost access to premium features on his social media platform, X.
By late Thursday or early Friday, at least 14 conservative accounts noted that their blue verification badges were revoked on X. This denied them key monetization avenues like subscription services and advertising revenue-sharing, as reviewed by NBC News. Some pointed out that the actual number affected might be higher.
While the accounts remained active, the lack of monetization tools raised concerns among users about their future posting ability. Some conservatives expressed feelings of betrayal by Musk. They recalled that he had acquired the platform, then known as Twitter, in 2022 partly to address perceived biases against conservative speech. Musk had proclaimed himself a staunch supporter of free expression yet has shown a readiness to imprison some of his detractors.
Neither Musk nor representatives from X commented on these events by Friday. However, on Thursday night, an intriguing incident happened. Just around the time complaints began about the loss of premium features, Musk took to X with what he termed “a reminder.” He explained that the platform’s algorithm reduces the visibility of users who are frequently blocked or muted by credible users.
“If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decline significantly,” Musk posted.
Instead of quelling the censorship claims, his message further fueled suspicions of shadowbanning—reducing engagement on certain posts without informing the users involved.
This controversy unfolded amidst a fiery online debate surrounding future immigration policies under President-elect Donald Trump. Anti-immigration MAGA supporters have been vocal critics of tech figures like Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who hold pro-immigration stances.
The accounts affected were notably linked to a media brand called ConservativeOG. According to Preston Parra, a 23-year-old influencer and head of ConservativeOG, X’s actions were perceived as a “political takedown” due to their opposition to Musk’s views on immigration.
Parra remains defiant, vowing to challenge Musk not just to reclaim their premium features but to push Trump towards more stringent immigration policies. “If anyone thinks for one minute the REAL backbone of the right wing and MAGA is gonna stand idly by while these big tech gillionaire Silicon Valley dweebs who didn’t get bullied enough in high school, steal our country, they’re mistaken,” Parra said. He described Musk as a “Trojan horse” within Trump circles.
Following the Nov. 5 election, Trump announced with much enthusiasm that Musk and Ramaswamy would head a new “Department of Government Efficiency.” But the recent appointment of venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on AI policy intensified scrutiny and criticism from far-right factions towards these tech influencers over their past comments on legal immigration.
It’s worth noting that Musk is an immigrant himself, having been born in South Africa and becoming a U.S. citizen in 2002.
