The suspension on Sunday of @Bitcoin, one of the oldest and most popular Twitter accounts, has raised a raft of questions. Suspensions of high profile Twitter accounts are rare and are usually accompanied by some sort of official explanation, with doxxing or harassment usually cited. With no official word on why @Bitcoin was suspended and then reassigned, speculation has abounded. But in the last few hours, signs have emerged that the account has been reactivated and returned to its original owner.
Also read: Who Controls the @Bitcoin Twitter Account?
Questions Mount in the Wake of @Bitcoin’s Suspension
What Did @Bitcoin Do Wrong?
Twitter’s rules forbid offensive behavior of various kinds including “targeted harassment of someone or [inciting] other people to do so”. In addition, “You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.” There is nothing in Twitter’s rules about speaking ill of particular brands of bitcoin, however, or promoting one flavor of cryptocurrency over another. They do state that “You may not impersonate individuals, groups, or organizations in a manner that is intended to or does mislead, confuse, or deceive others,” but it would be a stretch to suggest that promoting bitcoin cash is an attempt to confuse and deceive.
Members of r/bitcoin have repeatedly filed tickets pleading with Twitter to ban the account, but their actions ought to have had no effect. Just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it illegal. There is an alternative theory for what could have caused @Bitcoin’s permaban. Twitter’s rules state that “You may not buy or sell Twitter usernames”. It was speculated that this may have happened after @Bitcoin showed its allegiance to BCH, but there was no evidence to support this, and it is perfectly conceivable that the account’s original owner may simply have gravitated towards bitcoin cash. Moreover, if that had been the cause, it seems strange that it should take three months for Twitter to issue a suspension.
There is another theory going around, and it’s a proper conspiracy theory no less. Twitter’s Jack Dorsey is known to have invested in Lightning Network, a bitcoin core scaling solution seen as competing with bitcoin cash for low-cost transactions. Could this have influenced Twitter’s decision to silence @Bitcoin?
What Now for @Bitcoin?
For around 24 hours, “Andrei from Moscow Russia” has been serendipitously sitting on Twitter’s most desirable bitcoin handle. But in another surprise move, it looks like the @Bitcoin account has now been returned to its original owner and is in the process of being fully reactivated. If this proves to be the case, it will come as a relief to the rightful owner, who has cared for the account for the past seven years. Its 700,000 followers have been reduced to just a few thousand, though usually these are fully restored within hours of a reactivation. Judging by the account’s first tweet, @Bitcoin is as unclear as the rest of crypto Twitter as to what happened and why.
Why do you think @Bitcoin was suspended by Twitter? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, and Twitter.
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Source: Bitcoin.com