Allee Manning

Over 40 “rogue” Twitter accounts sprang up recently after the Trump Administration reportedly imposed gag orders on several federal agencies. The users behind some of these accounts, such as AltYellowstoneNatPark and AltEPA, claim to be employees of the agencies and sites they are representing, while others acknowledged that they were not associated with the entities they have decided to represent. The accounts quickly became a viral sensation, sending out sassy messages of dissent, underscoring the truth about climate change, sharing support for the people of Standing Rock in the face of the now imminent Dakota Access Pipeline, and promoting the planned Scientists’ March On Washington. But already, some of those manning the rogue accounts announced that they are relinquishing control to “non-federal workers” for fear of losing their jobs. In an apparent effort to ensure they are not in violation of Twitter’s impersonation policy, many of these account holders have been adding language like “not official” and “not affiliated” to their bios.