Kanye West’s return to Twitter lasts one day as account is locked

West is just the latest celebrity to test how major social media companies police speech on their platforms. — AFP

Twitter Inc has restricted and locked the account of billionaire musician and fashion designer Kanye West, just one day after he returned to the social media platform for the first time in nearly two years.

A spokesperson for Twitter said on Oct 9 the account was locked due to a violation of its policies. West, now known as Ye, started posting on the site late Friday, after he was suspended from Meta Platforms Inc’s Instagram for a now-deleted post.

West is just the latest celebrity to test how major social media companies police speech on their platforms. Both Instagram and Twitter deleted posts from West widely criticised as anti-Semitic and locked his accounts.

The move by Twitter to lock West’s account comes just hours after Tesla Inc chief executive officer Elon Musk welcomed the rapper back to the platform.

Musk, who last week said he will proceed with his offer to purchase Twitter after months of back-and-forth negotiations, has said he will prioritise free speech on Twitter and criticised its decision to ban individuals such as former President Donald Trump for violating its rules.

Musk hasn’t yet commented on the locking of West’s account. – Bloomberg