Most people don’t appreciate the significance of the point Matt was making:
*Every* social media company is engaged in heavy censorship, with significant involvement of and, at times, explicit direction of the government.
Google frequently makes links disappear, for example.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2022
When Dems controlled both houses of Congress and the WH (and Exec Branch), they repeatedly summoned Big Tech CEOs and openly and explicitly threatened them: if you don't *censor more*, you will be punished. And DHS/FBI/CIA applied immense pressure:t.co/KBMZpFiSzL
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) December 27, 2022
Officials from the Biden administration were “angry” that Twitter didn’t ban several accounts it identified as tweeting coronavirus “misinformation,” according to the latest release of the Twitter Files.
The latest batch of the Twitter files were released by author and journalist David Zweig and cover how Twitter suppressed debate about the coronavirs pandemic.
“A December 2022 summary of meetings with the White House by Lauren Culbertson, Twitter’s Head of U.S. Public Policy, adds new evidence of the White House’s pressure campaign, and cements that it repeatedly attempted to directly influence the platform,” reported Zweig.
Zweig then posted a screenshot of part of Culbertson’s memo:
12. Culbertson wrote that the Biden team was “very angry” that Twitter had not been more aggressive in deplatforming multiple accounts. They wanted Twitter to do more. pic.twitter.com/lZTQV3yKeZ
— David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022
Google Trust and Safety managed by ex-CIA agents…
2. Since the 2016 Presidential election, Google/Facebook/Twitter have hired at least 300+ people formerly employed by CIA, FBI, etc
Ex-CIA agents are Heads of Trust & Safety at Google & Facebook. Is it OK that ex-CIA agents control what “misinfo” is? t.co/2GGtRsLeMs
— Name Redacted (@NameRedacted247) December 27, 2022
Ben Domenech: “Joe Biden directed his staff to silence Americans on Twitter. If you aren’t pissed off, you don’t care about free speech
President Joe Biden repeatedly directed his staff to silence Americans on Twitter who disagreed with his policies. t.co/8F4MQOHgSR
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) December 26, 2022
If you aren't pissed off about this, you don't care about free speech.
The President. Told his staff. To tell Twitter. To ban his critics.
This is worse than anything Trump ever did, or Obama, or Bush, or literally any president since the Espionage Act of 1917.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) December 26, 2022
THE TWITTER FILES Reaction:
It would be an understatement to say that I am outraged at the covert infringement on the Bill of Rights by both Presidents.
Laws and behavior based on Covid trepidation turned political tides, destroyed businesses, lives, families, friendships.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 26, 2022
And all of it —all of it— was done under the covert control of the President himself. Take a step back & consider how this fits into the power structure of The People vs. the Gov.
What happens when our gov deliberately deprives The People of any meaningful consideration/ choice?
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 26, 2022
11. A December 2022 summary of meetings with the White House by Lauren Culbertson, Twitter’s Head of U.S. Public Policy, adds new evidence of the White House’s pressure campaign, and cements that it repeatedly attempted to directly influence the platform.
— David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022
12. Culbertson wrote that the Biden team was “very angry” that Twitter had not been more aggressive in deplatforming multiple accounts. They wanted Twitter to do more. pic.twitter.com/lZTQV3yKeZ
— David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022
29. Andrew Bostom, a Rhode Island physician, was permanently suspended from Twitter after receiving multiple strikes for misinformation. One of his strikes was for a tweet referring to the results from a peer reviewed study on mRNA vaccines. pic.twitter.com/Q65KlRwrqs
— David Zweig (@davidzweig) December 26, 2022
AND IT SHOULD BE: Twittergate: 63% want FBI ‘censorship’ of social media investigated.. “Majorities of every political category — 52% of Democrats, 75% of Republicans, and 63% of unaffiliated voters — believe Congress should investigate whether the FBI was involved in censoring information on social media sites.”
h/t dr0id