Tech Billionaire Elon Musk Accused of Censorship by Fellow Conservatives
Fellow conservatives have accused Elon Musk of censorship after several prominent right-wing accounts who had criticized his views on immigration said they lost access to premium features on his social media app, X. At least 14 conservative accounts reported that X revoked their blue verification badge, cutting them off from premium features, including the ability to monetize their accounts through subscriptions and advertising revenue-sharing.
The accounts, some of which are affiliated with the media brand ConservativeOG, said they were suddenly unable to access the features and worried about their ability to continue posting. Preston Parra, the 23-year-old head of ConservativeOG, characterized the actions as a “political takedown” in retaliation for publicly disagreeing with Musk’s pro-immigration views.
Musk’s actions have been met with scrutiny, particularly from the far-right, who see him as a “Trojan horse” in the Trump camp. Musk’s critics point to his birth and upbringing in South Africa and his 2002 U.S. citizenship as evidence that he is not a true conservative. The controversy has sparked a heated online debate on the subject of future immigration policy, with anti-immigration MAGA loyalists denouncing the influence of pro-immigration tech executives and investors such as Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
