Before acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk said he opposed a lifetime ban and promised to restore the identities of some banned users. Now, Musk wrote, Twitter will permanently ban account imitators if they are not clearly labeled as copycats. The move comes after several verified "Blue Verified" users changed their accounts to impersonate Musk himself.
Twitter appears to have just banned comedian Kathy Griffin from impersonating Musk, at least temporarily, after she used Musk's name and image on her verified Twitter account. Other verified accounts posing as Musk, including actor Jeph Jacques, also appear to have been kicked off the site.
Before Musk took over, Twitter’s rules already stated that users may not impersonate a person, group, or organization in order to mislead, confuse or deceive others, nor use false identities in a way that disrupts a user’s experience on Twitter. Parody accounts are required to state both in their accounts and resumes. Consequences include personal data modification, and temporary or permanent deactivation - although the latter is rarely implemented.
A large number of manufacturers have recently suspended advertising on Twitter. Responding to user suggestions to boycott the companies, Musk said, if this continues, it will start to name and shame these manufacturers.