Elton John performs “Bennie and the Jets” as he wraps up the U.S. leg of his ‘Yellow Brick Road’ tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on November 20, 2022. (REUTERS)
British musician Elton John quit Twitter on Friday, the latest high-profile celebrity to leave the social media platform following its acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk.
John, who is currently on his last-ever global tour, blamed Twitter’s recent policy change as a reason for quitting.
“All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it saddens me to see how misinformation is now being used to divide our world,” John tweeted to his 1.1 million followers.
“I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked.”
The 75-year-old activist and singer of hits such as “Tiny Dancer” and “Rocket Man” joins a long list of celebrities who have quit Twitter recently including supermodel Gigi Hadid, writer Shonda Rhimes and former White Stripes guitarist Jack White.
“I love your music. Hope you come back. Is there any misinformation in particular that you’re concerned about?” Musk said in a reply to John’s tweet on Friday.
Since the Tesla Inc top boss took over Twitter in a $44 billion deal, a series of changes including charging users for a “blue tick”, the roll-back of a policy aimed at tackling misinformation related to COVID-19 and reinstating some previously suspended accounts, including that of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has attracted widespread backlash.
Musk has also halved the company’s workforce and made deep cuts to its trust and safety team, which is responsible for preventing the spread of misinformation and harmful content.