As per Twitter’s guidelines for parody accounts, the mentioned account does not violate any of their criteria.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, expressed her frustration with Twitter after a fake account impersonating her gained significant traction and placed blame on the platform’s CEO, Elon Musk.
In a post on Tuesday, AOC clarified, “FYI, there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral.”
She further implied that Musk, by engaging with the account, was amplifying its visibility and aiding in its dissemination. The account has been spreading misleading policy statements, and AOC and her team are currently assessing their next course of action. She urged caution when encountering visual content.
The fraudulent account uses the same profile picture as the congresswoman but operates under the name “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody),” clearly indicating that it is not affiliated with AOC.
In response to AOC’s criticism, the spoof account humorously stated, “Come on, y’all, you know I would never say something as stupid as that.” It highlighted the satirical nature of its tweets, emphasizing that people should not mistake them as genuine.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the parody account fired back at AOC, suggesting that she intends to make parodies of herself “illegal.” It playfully expressed disbelief at the situation.
AOC has been an outspoken critic of Musk’s new Twitter verification policy, which allows more users to obtain the coveted blue checkmark.
While the parody account features the now-obsolete blue checkmark, AOC’s official account remains unverified, distinguished as a government account through its gray status.
Twitter’s support center clarifies that using the term “parody” in the username and biography does not contravene their rules and regulations.