According to Wired, social media platform Twitter (X) locked and suspended the accounts of journalists and researchers who shared the real name allegedly belonging to cartoonist Stonetoss following Stonetoss’s appeal.
Critics argue that this incident raises concerns about Elon Musk’s approach to content moderation on the platform. They point to instances where Musk has interacted with accounts that promote controversial views and express worry that the platform might be providing a safe haven for extremists.
Sample post:
Last week, a post by Anonymous Comrades Collective went viral on X, claiming to reveal the name of cartoonist Stonetoss. Stonetoss’ cartoons, often containing offensive language targeting race, sexual orientation, and religion, have gained significant popularity among right-wing groups in the past seven years. The post alleged that Stonetoss is Hans Kristian Graebener, a resident of Spring, Texas.
Stonetoss then asked X users with connections to owner Elon Musk to get the post taken down following a changed version of a Stonetoss cartoon. Stonetoss said a free platform shouldn’t allow people to be scared into silence, then messaged Musk with a list. Later, they claimed it wasn’t just about them but for all “artists.”
After the post about Stonetoss’ identity went viral, the group’s account was deleted. X also locked the accounts of many journalists and researchers who shared the information. X said these posts violated their policy against sharing private information.
People like Alejandra Caraballo, a law instructor, kept sharing the information despite the suspensions. X claims it followed its policy correctly, but some argue this isn’t mentioned in its terms of service. As of today, it looks like the saga may continue as Stonetoss chuckles as he replies and promotes his services and merch.
