The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) frequently requested Twitter to restrict certain Twitter accounts, typically citing worries over election-related misinformation, according to the most recent “Twitter Files” release, handled by independent journalist Matt Taibbi.
According to the most recent disclosures, Taibbi claimed that Twitter and the FBI had such frequent communication that it appeared as though Twitter had turned into a “subsidiary” of the federal law enforcement organization.
Conservative commentator and musician John Rich rhetorically questioned how long it would take for the FBI to raid new Twitter owner Elon Musk’s home due to the nature of the revelations, which presumably were never intended for public consumption. Rich’s question appeared to be an attack on the FBI for the recent Mar-a-Lago raid.
“How long before the FBI raids @elonmusk’s home?” Rich tweeted Friday.
How long before the FBI raids @elonmusk 's home?
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) December 17, 2022
Musk responded to Rich’s tweet early Saturday morning, writing, “I don’t have a home.”
I don’t have a home
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2022
Despite having the means to afford a house, Musk’s “homeless” dwelling condition is already well-known. He admitted to the nonprofit organization TED that he doesn’t own a home and stays at friends’ homes, according to a USA Today piece from earlier this year.
“In fact, I don’t even own a home right now. I’m literally staying at friends’ places,” he said. “If I travel to the Bay Area, which is where most of Tesla engineering is, I basically rotate through friends’ spare bedrooms.”
Concerns and conversations about the types of accounts highlighted by an internal FBI unit that specialized in finding what it perceived to be damaging “misinformation,” largely election-related, were sparked by Taibbi’s reporting’s disclosures.
On numerous occasions, the government agency would ask Yoel Roth, the former head of Twitter Trust and Safety, and his team to take action against Twitter users, even though many of the tweets were either sarcastic or appeared to be jokes.
“4. Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth,” Taibbi tweeted.
4. Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
While some of the emails sent between Twitter and the FBI were not particularly concerning, Taibbi, highlighted that a “surprisingly large proportion” were directed at pleading with Twitter to implement censoring measures.
“6. But a surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts,” Taibbi tweeted.
6. But a surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
According to Taibbi, the emails he released showed the FBI issuing what appeared to be instructions to censor certain users, with the understanding that it was more than a kindly request. This led to the relationship between the FBI and Twitter evolving into a sort of “master-canine” dynamic.
“‘HELLO TWITTER CONTACTS’: The master-canine quality of the FBI’s relationship to Twitter comes through in this November 2022 email, in which “FBI San Francisco is notifying you” it wants action on four accounts:” Taibbi tweeted, attaching an example of one of those types of emails.
“HELLO TWITTER CONTACTS”: The master-canine quality of the FBI’s relationship to Twitter comes through in this November 2022 email, in which “FBI San Francisco is notifying you” it wants action on four accounts: pic.twitter.com/LjgB6fxENo
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
The impending “Twitter Files” batch including conversations between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Twitter at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak has piqued the interest of many Twitter users. Musk has made hints that these files are on the way, but he hasn’t specified when.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait for more files to be released.
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