Kanye West’s return to Twitter lasts one day after account is locked

10 October 2022 - 07:33 By Jameelah Robinson
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Twitter Inc has restricted and locked Kanye West's account. File photo.
Twitter Inc has restricted and locked Kanye West's account. File photo.
Image: Bloomberg

Twitter Inc has restricted and locked the account of billionaire musician and fashion designer Kanye West one day after he returned to the social media platform for the first time in nearly two years.

On Sunday a spokesperson for Twitter the account was locked due to a violation of its policies. West, now known as Ye, started posting on the site late on Friday after he was suspended from Meta Platforms Inc’s Instagram for a now-deleted post. 

West is the latest celebrity to test how major social media companies police speech on their platforms. Both Instagram and Twitter deleted posts from West widely criticised as anti-Semitic and locked his accounts. 

The move by Twitter to lock West’s account comes hours after Tesla CEO Elon Musk welcomed the rapper back to the platform. 

Musk, who last week said he will proceed with his offer to purchase Twitter after months of back-and-forth negotiations, has said he will prioritise free speech on Twitter and criticised its decision to ban individuals such as former US President Donald Trump for violating its rules.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com


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