Billionaire co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates has not been suspended from Twitter as alleged in a falsified screenshot circulating online.
The image circulated shortly after the announcement that Tesla CEO Elon Musk reached a deal with Twitter to buy the social media company ( here ).
The upper half of the image shows Bill Gates’ Twitter profile, including his Twitter handle (@BillGates) and the account description: “Sharing things I'm learning through my foundation work and other interests” ( twitter.com/BillGates ). The lower half of the screenshot shows a notice of a suspended account.
One user shared the image on Twitter and said: “Damn Elon moves quick.” The tweet had over 36,000 likes at the time of writing ( here ).
An archived version of the tweet can be seen ( archive.ph/kXojo ).
Although some thought the image was satirical, others commented as if the screenshot was authentic. One user said: “Against the freedom of expression that Elon Musk spoke of” ( here ).
Another said: “Wouldn’t this go against what @elonmusk wants? Pretty sure he wanted everyone to have open dialogue” ( here ).
One user shared the screenshot on Facebook with a caption that reads: “Bill Gates has been suspended from Twitter” ( here ).
Other examples of the image shared online can be seen ( here ), ( here ).
The image is not authentic, however, as Gates has not been suspended from the platform, a Twitter spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for Bill Gates also confirmed this claim was false.
Archives taken of Gates’ Twitter account also do not show it being suspended on April 25, 2022, the day Musk agreed a deal to buy the platform. ( here ), ( here ), ( here ).
At the time of writing on April 26, 2022, Gates’ Twitter profile remains active ( twitter.com/BillGates ).
A Google advanced search did not reveal any news article reporting that Gates was suspended from the platform ( archive.ph/wip/HvU40 ).
Twitter’s rules on suspended accounts and notices that are viewable once an account is suspended can be viewed ( here ).
VERDICT
Altered. An image circulating online does not show Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ Twitter account (@BillGates) suspended from the platform. The image is digitally altered.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.
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