Twitter CEO Elon Musk helped boost an account parodying Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday. The account, as of this writing, has already amassed over 200,000 followers, and it’s spreading potentially dangerous policy-related misinformation.
Ocasio-Cortez has also called attention to the account, pointing out Musk’s contribution in helping it spread.
The parody account is verified through the $8 per month subscription to Twitter Blue while the real Ocasio-Cortez account bears the gray checkmark reserved for accounts associated with the government or multilateral organizations.
Musk previously said at the Wall Street Journal CEO Summit that Twitter verification is necessary to prevent the manipulation of information — or at least to make it more difficult — on his platform.
Ocasio-Cortez has been an active critic of Musk on the platform, especially as the latter started leaning more heavily toward the right side of the political divide and adapting the rhetoric under the guise of free speech.
Musk recently hosted the announcement of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign and was rumored to be in talks with ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson before Carlson made a declaration that Twitter is “the last big platform for free speech.”
Prior to the parody account going viral and Musk replying to one of its posts, Ocasio-Cortez’s most recent post was a retweet of NBCNews reporter Ben Collins’ post talking about Musk’s penchant for “stumbling upon” white supremacist memes.
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