Questions Swirl Around Kanye West's Twitter Account After Elon Musk Takes Charge Of Platform

Twitter's new owner and CEO, billionaire Elon Musk, said Friday he was not involved in lifting the restrictions on Kanye West's Twitter account. The rapper, who now performs under the name Ye, had been locked out of the account earlier this month for making antisemitic statements on the platform.

The Tesla-founder, who officially took control of the social media network earlier this week after purchasing it for $44 billion, tweeted Friday that the company would be forming a "content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints."

"No major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes," Musk added.

In response to that statement, one Twitter user asked Musk why the read-only restrictions had already allegedly been lifted from West's account. Musk responded that West's "account was restored by Twitter before the acquisition. They did not consult with or inform me."

West has not tweeted from the account since Oct. 8, and CBS News has not independently verified whether West's access has in fact been restored. 

Twitter had locked West out of his account "due to a violation of Twitter's policies," the platform told CBS News in a statement Oct. 9. Though the reason was not specified, West on Oct. 8 posted an antisemitic tweet in which he threatened to go "death [sic] con 3" on Jewish people. The tweet has since been removed.

When a Twitter account is classified as "read-only," it means the user is restricted from tweeting, retweeting and liking content, the platform's website says. The user can still read their timeline and send direct messages to their followers. 

"The duration of this enforcement action can range from 12 hours to 7 days, depending on the nature of the violation," the site also reads.

In wake of his statements, West was also restricted on Instagram after posting screenshots of an alleged conversation with rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs in which West suggested Combs was being controlled by Jews. However, his Instagram account resumed posting on Wednesday. 

Several brands have also cut ties with him, including Adidas, Balenciaga, Gap, Peloton and talent agency CAA.

First published on October 29, 2022 / 8:27 PM

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