REUTERS/Octavio Jones
- MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell rejoined Twitter on Sunday after he was permanently banned in 2021.
- The account is currently unverified and includes a video of Lindell urging users to follow him.
- Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on if the account defies existing policies.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell returned to Twitter on Sunday, after the executive was permanently banned from the platform in 2021 for spreading election-related conspiracy theories.
"Hello everybody, I'M BACK ON TWITTER. My only account is @MikeJLindell! Please RT and FOLLOW to SPREAD THE WORD," Lindell wrote in a tweet shared Sunday afternoon.
While the account is currently unverified, the announcement includes a self-shot video of Lindell urging Twitter users to follow him and cautioning against imitators.
"All those other ones are fake accounts and they've been using my name out there, so we started this account," he said in the video. "Please share with everybody you know, let everybody you know, so we can get the word out at Twitter in case they do take it down. Thanks a lot for helping out."
Twitter did not immediately respond to Insider's request to comment on the account and whether it was condoned by the company. However, several Twitter users responded flagging the platform's ban evasion policy, which states on its website it forbids "attempts to circumvent prior enforcement, including through the creation of new accounts."
While the details surrounding Lindell's Twitter return remain unknown, it comes just a week after Elon Musk purchased the social platform for $44 billion, a takeover rife with speculation that the billionaire plans on changing policies to relax moderation in favor of increased freedom of speech.
Lindell was one of several high-profile figures who was permanently banned for spreading misinformation tied to the 2020 election, following the suspension of former president Donald Trump in January 2021. YouTube and Vimeo also removed Lindell's two-hour film about the election, "Absolute Proof," from their platforms.
According to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, Musk is dismayed that Trump is still barred from the platform, though the former president has previously stated he does not intend to return to the site.
"I hope Elon buys Twitter because he'll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on TRUTH," Trump told Fox News.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-returns-to-twitter-after-permanent-ban-2022-5