Summary
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has filed a court motion claiming ownership of all X accounts, arguing they cannot be transferred, in an effort to block The Onion’s purchase of InfoWars, Alex Jones’s conspiracy outlet.
The sale was part of a $1.4 billion judgment against Jones for defaming Sandy Hook families.
X’s filing asserts that users only hold a non-transferable license to their accounts, despite Musk’s prior actions threatening to reassign handles.
Critics view Musk’s move as aiding far-right figures like Jones and aligning with his MAGA agenda.
Technically he’s right. It’s like the access card to a shitty gym, the card is their property, provided to you as long as you fulfill your part of the agreement.
Except that this time, the gym is owned by a megalomaniac madman. I’d let him keep the card and let him waddle in the filth of his own making all by himself.
No, the X terms of service specifically state that you retiain ownership and rights to anything you post. X just takes free license to your posts so that it can show it to the world.
You retain rights to your content, but not to the account itself.
Which isn’t a bad thing. Platforms should be able to terminate accounts that break the law, for example.
That’s not the same as saying you own the account.