Twitter Tyranny, Exposed!
Big Tech Continues to Grow and Merge with Big Government
Today, the new owner of the social media platform, Twitter, Elon Musk, created some major buzz when published the following tweet from his official account, at 3:39 pm (EST):
Elon Musk@elonmusk
What really happened with the Hunter Biden story suppression by Twitter will be published on Twitter at 5pm ET!
8:39 PM · Dec 2, 2022
73.2K Reposts · 409K Likes
At 3:48pm (EST), Musk followed up his statement with the following tweet:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
This will be awesome 🍿
8:48 PM · Dec 2, 2022
11.1K Reposts · 158K Likes
At 3:51 pm (EST), Musk also tweeted:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
Will include live Q&A
8:51 PM · Dec 2, 2022
8.69K Reposts · 125K Likes
At 5:21 pm (ETS), Musk provided an update, replying to his original tweet:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
We’re double-checking some facts, so probably start live tweeting in about 40 mins
10:21 PM · Dec 2, 2022
20.8K Reposts · 159K Likes
Finally, at 6:44 pm (ETS), Musk delivered the goods, sharing a tweet thread from author, Matt Taibbi:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
Here we go!! 🍿🍿
Matt Taibbi @mtaibbi
1. Thread: THE TWITTER FILES
11:44 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi had been tweeting the following information, starting at 6:34 pm (EST):
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
1. Thread: THE TWITTER FILES
11:34 PM · Dec 2, 2022
28.8K Reposts · 78.2K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
2. What you’re about to read is the first installment in a series, based upon thousands of internal documents obtained by sources at Twitter.
11:39 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
3. The “Twitter Files” tell an incredible story from inside one of the world’s largest and most influential social media platforms. It is a Frankensteinian tale of a human-built mechanism grown out the control of its designer.
11:41 PM · Dec 2, 2022
5.57K Reposts · 36.6K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
4. Twitter in its conception was a brilliant tool for enabling instant mass communication, making a true real-time global conversation possible for the first time.
11:43 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
5. In an early conception, Twitter more than lived up to its mission statement, giving people “the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”
11:45 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
6. As time progressed, however, the company was slowly forced to add those barriers. Some of the first tools for controlling speech were designed to combat the likes of spam and financial fraudsters.
11:46 PM · Dec 2, 2022
4.84K Reposts · 33.2K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
7. Slowly, over time, Twitter staff and executives began to find more and more uses for these tools. Outsiders began petitioning the company to manipulate speech as well: first a little, then more often, then constantly.
11:47 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
8. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: “More to review from the Biden team.” The reply would come back: “Handled.”
11:52 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
9. Celebrities and unknowns alike could be removed or reviewed at the behest of a political party:
11:56 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
10.Both parties had access to these tools. For instance, in 2020, requests from both the Trump White House and the Biden campaign were received and honored. However:
11:58 PM · Dec 2, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
11. This system wasn't balanced. It was based on contacts. Because Twitter was and is overwhelmingly staffed by people of one political orientation, there were more channels, more ways to complain, open to the left (well, Democrats) than the right. opensecrets.org/orgs/twitter/s…
12:02 AM · Dec 3, 2022
8.98K Reposts · 34.9K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
12. The resulting slant in content moderation decisions is visible in the documents you’re about to read. However, it’s also the assessment of multiple current and former high-level executives.
12:04 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
Okay, there was more throat-clearing about the process, but screw it, let's jump forward
12:05 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
16. The Twitter Files, Part One: How and Why Twitter Blocked the Hunter Biden Laptop Story
12:06 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
17. On October 14, 2020, the New York Post published BIDEN SECRET EMAILS, an expose based on the contents of Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop:
nypost.com
Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad
12:07 AM · Dec 3, 2022
8.92K Reposts · 32.9K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
18. Twitter took extraordinary steps to suppress the story, removing links and posting warnings that it may be “unsafe.” They even blocked its transmission via direct message, a tool hitherto reserved for extreme cases, e.g. child pornography.
12:08 AM · Dec 3, 2022
9.27K Reposts · 35K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
19. White House spokeswoman Kaleigh McEnany was locked out of her account for tweeting about the story, prompting a furious letter from Trump campaign staffer Mike Hahn, who seethed: “At least pretend to care for the next 20 days.”
12:09 AM · Dec 3, 2022
9.19K Reposts · 36.7K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
20.This led public policy executive Caroline Strom to send out a polite WTF query. Several employees noted that there was tension between the comms/policy teams, who had little/less control over moderation, and the safety/trust teams:
12:12 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
21. Strom’s note returned the answer that the laptop story had been removed for violation of the company’s “hacked materials” policy: https://t.co/EdTa2xbXn1
12:13 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
22. Although several sources recalled hearing about a “general” warning from federal law enforcement that summer about possible foreign hacks, there’s no evidence - that I've seen - of any government involvement in the laptop story. In fact, that might have been the problem...
12:18 AM · Dec 3, 2022
4.53K Reposts · 23.1K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
23. The decision was made at the highest levels of the company, but without the knowledge of CEO Jack Dorsey, with former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde playing a key role.
12:19 AM · Dec 3, 2022
6.16K Reposts · 26.2K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
24. “They just freelanced it,” is how one former employee characterized the decision. “Hacking was the excuse, but within a few hours, pretty much everyone realized that wasn’t going to hold. But no one had the guts to reverse it.”
12:19 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
25.You can see the confusion in the following lengthy exchange, which ends up including Gadde and former Trust and safety chief Yoel Roth. Comms official Trenton Kennedy writes, “I'm struggling to understand the policy basis for marking this as unsafe”:
12:21 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
26. By this point “everyone knew this was fucked,” said one former employee, but the response was essentially to err on the side of… continuing to err.
12:24 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
27. Former VP of Global Comms Brandon Borrman asks, “Can we truthfully claim that this is part of the policy?”
12:26 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
28. To which former Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker again seems to advise staying the non-course, because “caution is warranted”:
12:28 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
29. A fundamental problem with tech companies and content moderation: many people in charge of speech know/care little about speech, and have to be told the basics by outsiders. To wit:
12:30 AM · Dec 3, 2022
3.62K Reposts · 18.2K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
30. In one humorous exchange on day 1, Democratic congressman Ro Khanna reaches out to Gadde to gently suggest she hop on the phone to talk about the “backlash re speech.” Khanna was the only Democratic official I could find in the files who expressed concern.
12:31 AM · Dec 3, 2022
3.62K Reposts · 15.7K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
Gadde replies quickly, immediately diving into the weeds of Twitter policy, unaware Khanna is more worried about the Bill of Rights:
12:32 AM · Dec 3, 2022
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Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
32.Khanna tries to reroute the conversation to the First Amendment, mention of which is generally hard to find in the files:
12:34 AM · Dec 3, 2022
4.58K Reposts · 18.1K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
33.Within a day, head of Public Policy Lauren Culbertson receives a ghastly letter/report from Carl Szabo of the research firm NetChoice, which had already polled 12 members of congress – 9 Rs and 3 Democrats, from “the House Judiciary Committee to Rep. Judy Chu’s office.”
12:38 AM · Dec 3, 2022
2.96K Reposts · 12.5K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
34.NetChoice lets Twitter know a “blood bath” awaits in upcoming Hill hearings, with members saying it's a "tipping point," complaining tech has “grown so big that they can’t even regulate themselves, so government may need to intervene.”
12:42 AM · Dec 3, 2022
2.46K Reposts · 9.72K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
35.Szabo reports to Twitter that some Hill figures are characterizing the laptop story as “tech’s Access Hollywood moment”:
12:43 AM · Dec 3, 2022
2.21K Reposts · 8.59K Likes
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
36.Twitter files continued:
"THE FIRST AMENDMENT ISN’T ABSOLUTE”
Szabo’s letter contains chilling passages relaying Democratic lawmakers’ attitudes. They want “more” moderation, and as for the Bill of Rights, it's "not absolute"
12:45 AM · Dec 3, 2022
1.54K Reposts · 3.87K Likes
At 7:45 pm (EST), Taibbi took a short break from tweeting, having posted on the topic for 1h11m, or 71 minutes, straight.
17 minutes later, at 8:03 pm (EST), Taibbi tweeted the following:
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
While reviewing Gadde's emails, I saw a familiar name - my own. Dorsey sent her a copy of my Substack article blasting the incident
1:03 AM · Dec 3, 2022
2.65K Reposts · 10.6K Likes
At 8:10 pm (EST), Taibbi tweeted the following:
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
There are multiple instances in the files of Dorsey intervening to question suspensions and other moderation actions, for accounts across the political spectrum
1:10 AM · Dec 3, 2022
1.04K Reposts · 4.67K Likes
At 7:41 pm (EST), Elon Musk finally tweeted about the topic, again:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
@mtaibbi Ro Khanna is great
12:41 AM · Dec 3, 2022
939 Reposts · 11.6K Likes
At 8:17 pm (EST), Musk posted another tweet:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
@micsolana “Handled” 🔥🔥🔥
1:17 AM · Dec 3, 2022
440 Reposts · 4.3K Likes
Musk was replying to a 7:02 pm (EST) tweet from billionaire tech tycoon, Mike Solana:
Mike Solana@micsolana
not to be dramatic or anything but holy shit
Matt Taibbi @mtaibbi
8. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. One executive would write to another: “More to review from the Biden team.” The reply would come back: “Handled.” https://t.co/mnv0YZI4af
12:02 AM · Dec 3, 2022
247 Reposts · 1.81K Likes
At 8:24 pm (EST), Musk posted another tweet to Solana:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
@micsolana If this isn’t a violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment, what is?
1:24 AM · Dec 3, 2022
4.34K Reposts · 20.1K Likes
At 8:30 pm (EST), 20 minutes after his last post, Matt Taibbi posted the following:
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
The problem with the "hacked materials" ruling, several sources said, was that this normally required an official/law enforcement finding of a hack. But such a finding never appears throughout what one executive describes as a "whirlwind" 24-hour, company-wide mess.
1:30 AM · Dec 3, 2022
600 Reposts · 1.98K Likes
At 8:35 pm (EST), Taibbi tweeted the following:
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
It's been a whirlwind 96 hours for me, too. There is much more to come, including answers to questions about issues like shadow-banning, boosting, follower counts, the fate of various individual accounts, and more. These issues are not limited to the political right.
1:35 AM · Dec 3, 2022
3.69K Reposts · 19.2K Likes
At 8:36 pm (EST), Elon Musk tweeted the following to both Mike Solana and social the Hodge Twins:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
@hodgetwins @micsolana Twitter acting by itself to suppress free speech is not a 1st amendment violation, but acting under orders from the government to suppress free speech, with no judicial review, is
1:36 AM · Dec 3, 2022
5.56K Reposts · 19.3K Likes
At 8:37 pm (EST), Matt Taibbi concluded with a final tweet, for the night:
Matt Taibbi@mtaibbi
Good night, everyone. Thanks to all those who picked up the phone in the last few days.
1:37 AM · Dec 3, 2022
1.83K Reposts · 22.2K Likes
At 8:36 pm (EST), Elon Musk tweeted the following:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
@TheQuartering Q&A tomorrow
1:51 AM · Dec 3, 2022
202 Reposts · 1.48K Likes
Musk was replying to an 8:49 pm (EST) tweet from the news organization, “The Quartering”:
TheQuartering@TheQuartering
Dear @elonmusk,
You said there would be a Q&A. I have MANY Q's. Would Settle For Just One...
1:49 AM · Dec 3, 2022
248 Reposts · 1.21K Likes
At 8:55 pm (EST), Elon Musk tweeted the following:
Elon Musk@elonmusk
@lexfridman Transparency is the key to trust
1:55 AM · Dec 3, 2022
1.13K Reposts · 8.79K Likes
Musk was replying to the following thread of tweets, from podcaster, Lex Friedman, posted at 7:05 pm (EST) and 8:54 pm (EST), respectively:
Lex Fridman@lexfridman
The Twitter Files release is historic. This will strengthen our democracy.
12:05 AM · Dec 3, 2022
3.3K Reposts · 34.1K Likes
Lex Fridman@lexfridman
Transparency in social media companies is rare, but is essential. That is why, in my opinion, this is historic and really great to see. Transparency helps keep people honest and minimize undue influence from politics and money.
1:54 AM · Dec 3, 2022
470 Reposts · 5.55K Likes
There will be much more to this story, in the coming days!