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Twitter Will lock Your Account If You Change the Display Name to "Elon Musk"

I just found a 100% effective way to cut back on my time wasted on Twitter.

In what is very likely a response to scammers impersonating the South African billioniare, Twitter is now automatically suspending all accounts that have the user name "Elon Musk".

According to The Verge, this is intended to fight cryptocurrency scammers.

If you have a non-verified account that is not associated with a phone number, changing your display name to that of the SpaceX and Tesla CEO will result in an immediate lock out. Twitter will then ask you to pass a CAPTCHA test, as well as provide a phone number, to regain access.

“As part of our continuing efforts to combat spam and malicious activity on our service, we’re testing new measures to challenge accounts that use terms commonly associated with spam campaigns. We are continually refining these detections based on changes in spammy activity,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement given to The Verge. The company declined to comment on whether the measure has been put in place for any other public figure’s Twitter account.

I tested this report, and I can confirm it is true. I am locked out of my main Twitter account. Twitter is insisting that I provide a cell phone number which I may or may not give them. (I want to see how long I can go without using Twitter.)

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Comments


Tom July 27, 2018 um 3:11 am

might also work if you change it to "Donald Trump"?


Mark Williams – The New Publishing Standard July 27, 2018 um 5:17 am

So how long was it? An hour? Two hours?

Nate Hoffelder July 27, 2018 um 12:46 pm

I never really got a chance to test it; my account was unlocked by the time I got up this morning.


Mike Cane July 27, 2018 um 6:04 am

>>I just found a 100% effective way to cut back on my time wasted on Twitter.

Be a damn man and just quit that garbage.


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