CBA Record January-February 2023

LPMT BITS & BYTES BY ANNE HAAG Gone theWay of the Twitter Bird?

promoting free speech. While Twitter pre viously suspended accounts for publishing content that was deemed to be approach ing the level of hate speech or threatening in some way, Musk has expressed a desire to see these parameters weakened and many previously banned accounts rein stated. It is because of this particular con cern that many users have deleted their accounts or expressed their intent to do so. Although it’s not possible to assume their reasoning in most situations, more than 1 million users have deleted their Twitter accounts since the acquisition in October 2022. What does this turmoil mean for law yers? Lawyers or firms with high-profile Twitter accounts could be targeted by hoax efforts like the one Eli Lilly expe rienced. Users could pretend to be you or your firm to erode reputation or even infiltrate a firm. If you use Twitter to con verse with other professionals or learn about topics important to your practice, it might become more difficult to curate the content you see as moderation decreases. This is not necessarily to say that you should rush to leave the platform. If Twitter has been a valuable piece of your marketing plan, you might be particu larly reluctant to defect. It’s worth noting that if you delete your account, another user can adopt your old account name. As of now, Twitter users can pause their account for 30 days. If you’re leaning towards stepping away from the platform, this might be a good option to buy your self some time as the situation develops so that you can make an informed decision. You might also want to come up with a contingency plan for if your account (or your firm’s account) is targeted by a hoax account. You can report hoax accounts, though with so much up in the air, it’s hard to determine how effective this course of action may hold. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of answers about the future of Twitter at this moment. What’s important is to be aware of what’s happening and how it might impact you and your firm. Awareness will allow you to plan for the worst, while continuing to hope for the best.

changes before this column goes to press). Previously, for a Twitter account to obtain verification (which appears as a blue check next to the account name), users had to apply for the status and qual ify as “authentic, notable, and active.” After Musk’s takeover, any account could reach veri fication status by subscribing to Twitter Blue, a new sub scription feature that provides users with the coveted blue checkmark without subjecting them to any review process.

E lon Musk finalized his acquisition of Twitter late last year. Many Twit ter users expressed wariness about the acquisition, citing fear of lack of regu lation on the platform if Musk’s takeover was completed. Within the first few days after the acquisition, Musk fired top executives, laid off half of Twitter’s staff, initiated a paid subscription service for the platform’s verification feature, and formed a new content moderation council to review account reinstatements for users who had previously been banned. Whether or not you view the concerns as valid, it is impossible to deny that major changes are underway for the platform. The transition has already had con crete implications for some, particularly as it relates to the platform’s account verification process (and likely even more

Users immediately took advantage of this for comedic gains, but some stunts had real consequences. One verified account with the username @EliLillyandCo (as opposed to the Eli Lilly’s real username, which previously would have been the only account with the verification status, @LillyPad) tweeted that the company was now offering free insulin to customers. The real company had to issue an apology, and their stock shares dropped by more than 6% the following day, with billions of dollars at play. However, one of the greatest fears related to the acquisition involves con tent moderation on the platform. This is a big regulatory issue in the world of social media and the internet at large. Musk has routinely voiced reluctance about almost any kind of moderation in the name of

Anne Haag is the CBA’s Law Practice Management Advisor, a certified crisis intervention counselor, and a volunteer with Resilience as a trauma informed ER advocate for sexual assault survivors.

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