Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Sen. Ed Markey wrote to Elon Musk saying someone impersonated his Twitter with a verified blue check. Musk responded, suggesting his 'real account sounds like a parody.'

Sen. Ed Markey wrote to Elon Musk saying someone impersonated his Twitter with a verified blue check. Musk responded, suggesting his 'real account sounds like a parody.'

"Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?" Musk tweeted when asked by the senator how Twitter will prevent impersonations.

Sen. Ed Markey penned a letter to Elon Musk after someone impersonated his Twitter account with a blue checkmark. Musk responded on Twitter by saying the senator's real account "sounds like a parody."

In a letter addressed to Musk and shared on Twitter, Markey said a Washington Post reporter "easily created a fake Twitter account in my name, and by paying $8.00 was also able to obtain Twitter's blue checkmark, signifying that Twitter had 'verified' the account was indeed that of a sitting U.S. senator."

"It was not," Markey's letter to Musk continued. "Apparently, due to Twitter's lax verification practices and apparent need for cash, anyone could pay $8.00 and impersonate someone on your platform."

The Washington Post reported on Friday that the outlet was verified "in minutes" while experimenting with the verification system and creating "imposter accounts" for Markey and a comedian. Both fake accounts were quickly verified, which the Post said makes the blue check "mostly worthless."

Following the experiment, Markey said that Twitter "must explain how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again."

"Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?" Musk said on Twitter in a reply to Markey's tweet. He also asked why Markey is wearing a mask in his profile picture.


Markey fired off another tweet in response to Musk, calling out the billionaire's companies under various investigations.

"One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you're spending your time picking fights online," Markey tweeted. "Fix your companies. Or Congress will."

The Federal Trade Commission said on Friday that it is "tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern." Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has spent months investigating Tesla's autopilot feature, assessing data from 830,000 Tesla cars and almost 200 new cases of collisions while the autopilot feature was activated.

Musk said last week that he wants Twitter to be the "most accurate source of information," though many of his tweets in the last few weeks contradict him. He tweeted a link to a news site spreading unfounded (and homophobic) claims about the assault on Paul Pelosi, which left the House Speaker's husband hospitalized. He also tweeted that Twitter was the biggest driver of "clicks" on the internet, after which he was quickly fact-checked for being "100% wrong."

Musk's tweets have put him in hot water with advertisers, several of whom have suspended ads on the site. Since he completed his takeover of Twitter last month, he has laid off several top executives and a large chunk of the company's staff, including public policy staff who verify politician accounts.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×