Musk's Twitter rules: A dizzying, whiplash-inducing timeline

Since Elon Musk took control of Twitter in late October, confusion over what is, and what is not allowed on the platform, even what a verified account is, has run rampant. Rules and policies can change daily, or even hourly. Little of what's transpired at Twitter in almost two months under Musk's leadership has anything to do with what was originally his biggest complaint about the platform: the scourge of bots, or spam accounts.

Here's a rundown of some of the events, policy changes and confusion that has been a hallmark of Musk's Twitter.

Oct. 27: Musk takes control of Twitter and fires the CEO, chief financial officer and the company’s top attorney.

Oct. 28: Some accounts recirculate long-debunked conspiracy theories in an attempt to “test” whether Twitter’s policies on misinformation were still being enforced.

Oct. 30: Musk tweets a link to an unfounded rumor about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband. He later deleted the tweet.

Oct. 31: Musk fires Twitter's board of directors and makes himself the board’s sole member.

Nov. 3: General Mills and Audi pause ads on Twitter. Other advertisers express concerns about content moderation under Musk and whether staying on Twitter might tarnish their brands.

Nov. 5: Twitter announces a $7.99 per-month subscription service that includes a blue check just ahead of U.S. midterm elections, previously given only to verified accounts.

Nov. 6: After a raft of bogus “verified” accounts begin posting on the platform, Musk says Twitter will suspend any impersonation account that fails to make clear it's a parody account.

Nov. 7: Musk urges “independent-minded voters” to vote Republican in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

Nov. 9: Musk seeks to reassure big companies that advertise on Twitter that his chaotic...