**Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Claims Parody Account Fools Elon Musk, Sparks Conservative Outrage**
Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York falls prey to a parody account of herself, raising suspicions and highlighting how easily parody accounts can wreak havoc on social media following Elon Musk’s involvement with Twitter. Conservative commentators mock her response, claiming the comedian account is only exercising free speech.
Socialist Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took offense to a parody account impersonating her, which engaged with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. In a tweet, she alerted her followers and voiced her concerns regarding the parody’s increasing influence because of the engagement from the Twitter CEO. Despite the account being labeled as a parody, Ocasio-Cortez avowed to assess the situation with her team and urged people to be cautious about what they see.
Although Ocasio-Cortez accused the parody account of releasing false policy statements and gaining momentum, it is important to note that her own account holds over 13.4 million followers, while the parody account (@AOCpress) only has around 181,000. This significantly lowers the possibility of mistaking the parody account for her official Twitter account.
The recent alteration of Twitter policies by Elon Musk has caused a stir, with critics and celebrities voicing their concerns. Actress Alyssa Milano went as far as accusing Twitter of potentially being liable for defamation, identity theft, or fraud by removing her verification mark.
The parody account in question (@AOCpress) responded cheekily to Ocasio-Cortez’s complaint, stating that it intends to push Congress to make parody illegal, prompting a sarcastic backlash from conservative commentators, who argue that the account is exercising its right to free speech.
**Ocasio-Cortez’s Call for an End to Parody Exposes Larger Free Speech Debates**
