Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the representative of New York’s 14th congressional district and a harsh critic of Twitter owner Elon Musk, suggests that Musk is behind her viral parody account on the social media platform.
She is threatening to quit Twitter if this issue isn’t addressed soon. Here’s the news.
Parody account
There’s a viral fake account recently circulating on Twitter and all over the Internet that uses the same profile photo as the congresswoman, posting statements as if they were said by the politician herself. The account goes under the name “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody)” and handle @AOCpress.
Now, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez has finally stood up to call out the fake Twitter account, adding she will leave Twitter if this does not get addressed soon.
“FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility,” Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see.”
Some netizens lambasted this statement by the congresswoman, while others supported it. Netizen @SoljaDalberg, for instance, replied to her post, “Thanks for the heads up. I have blocked the account. Hard enough already with so many lies and disinformation.”
Her parody account on Twitter, surprisingly, carries the coveted blue checkmark, which suggests it is verified. In contrast, the congresswoman’s account remains in grey to distinguish her government account from other verified accounts associated with her.
But, according to Twitter Help Center, when an account uses the word “parody” in the username and bio, it does not violate anything in the user guidelines.
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’s parody account has already responded to her criticism, saying sarcastically, “I can’t believe people would think these parody tweets are from our office when they are clearly fake. Come on y’all you know I would never say something as stupid as that.
It also joked that the congresswoman might just make parody “illegal” someday in the future. It said, “After brainstorming with my staff – I’m going to push Congress to make it illegal to joke, laugh, or make fun of me. Parody should be illegal.”
She’s a critic of Musk
It is also interesting to note that Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez is a known critic of Musk.
Last month, she slammed Musk after his Twitter took away the blue ticks from some accounts, saying this move could pave the way “for major potential harm.” She mocked the billionaire’s move announcing late last year that those who wish to retain their blue ticks should pay $8.
Also, in another instance, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez condemned the Twitter boss last December after he decided to suspend the accounts of half a dozen journalists who routinely reported on him and his controversial policies for Twitter.
