Twitter Restricts Tesla Community Members Discarding Its Social Media Responsibility

Twitter has temporarily restricted and suspended multiple Tesla community members, seemingly in one fell swoop. The accounts that have been affected belong to some of the most prominent voices in the Tesla community. The recent actions the social media platform has taken reveal how irresponsible Twitter has become when it comes to complaints and reports. 

As of this writing, the Twitter accounts that have been affected include @vincent13031925, @Tesmanian_com, @flcnhvy, @Kristennetten, 
@thirdrowtesla, @mortchad, @teslaownersSV, and @nichegamer. A couple of weeks ago, Twitter suspended @AlterViggo and tired to permanently suspend @JaneidyEve as well. 

Of all the accounts mentioned above, @vincent13031925, @Tesmanian_com, @Kristennetten, 
@thirdrowtesla were temporarily restricted from access thing their Twitter. In Tesmanian’s case, @vincent13031925 and @Tesmanian_com had to prove they were run by real humans and not bots by sharing confidential information, like a private phone number. Presumably, the same was required for @flcnhvy, @Kristennetten, and @thirdrowtesla to regain access to their Twitter accounts. 

Unfortunately, Tesla Community on Twitter did suffer some loss. @AlterViggo was never able to lift his suspension. The Twitter accounts for @mortchad, and @nichegamer may have also been permanently suspended. 

@Twitter please look at this and tell our community if @markbspiegel deserved to have an account or not. #Tesla #tslaq $tsla #climatebrawl @GeraldKutney @LikeTeslaKim @tesla_truth @seanmmitchell @GretaThunberg @AlterViggo @Alpsoy66 pic.twitter.com/Oz3oX24uBB

— Camilo Reyes (@Camiloreyesq) September 24, 2019

The common consensus is that TSLAQ has decided to report multiple Twitter accounts run by influential people in the Tesla community. Some influencers whose accounts have been restored shared information about their temporary restrictions. 

Based on the information they shared, the people behind these suspensions and restrictions have come up with two strategies: 1) file a complaint saying the Twitter account is being run by a bot or 2) file a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaint. However, it must be noted that Twitter does not outline clear reasons for suspension or temporary restrictions to most account holders in this situation. 

The way that Twitter has managed these complaints have been less than disappointing. Social media platforms, like Twitter, provide a quick, efficient way to communicate and share information. In Twitter’s case, the platform is also used to connect with common-minded people. 

During a global crisis, censoring individuals without thoroughly investigating complaints is unacceptable, especially when the community turns to these individuals for accurate, useful information. The same individuals also help boost morale in a time when people are separated from the rest of society. 

Common sense could discern whether a Twitter account was run by a bot or not, and the same could be said for DMCA complaints. However, multiple accounts have still be suspended for reasons that remain unclear. Twitter’s mismanagement of the complaints reveals how incompetent it has become, especially when the accounts that post questionable content at best continue to thrive on the platform.