Elon Musk's Twitter Files

I'm really not getting why this is supposedly important. Can someone explain to me? I've read through his threads, and what I see is internal chatter about how to respond to TOS violations. It is exactly what I would expect. What am I missing?

Every social media platform has a Terms of Service that says they can ban or restrict you for violations. You agree to it when you sign up. I've been a moderator of online forums and groups before and dealing with TOS violations is part of the job. Usually before you ban someone you have discussions with other moderators. How is what Musk is posting any different? Because the users happen to be high profile elected officials? Because it is other government officials making the requests? I see no reason why other government officials cannot report TOS violations. It is up to Twitter whether to act on them and banning someone for such violations is not a restriction on "free speech". Nobody has to use Twitter, and frankly 90% of the population could care less about what happens on Twitter. Restricting the Biden laptop story? It's not like there were no other outlets reporting on the story and reading the internal discussion it sounds like there were legitimate concerns about spreading foreign disinformation. Those that wanted to hear about that story did so through other means.

Clearly Trump and those banned violated TOS agreements. Those on the right had just as much right to flag left-leaning posts and have them removed, too. The difference being those on the left weren't violating the TOS agreements by spreading outright lies - that's why the "conservatives" were being banned and not the liberals. A big DUUUUH here.

If someone else can explain this defiantly, please try.

Northwest · M

It's not important. Twitter is a private organization, that always had a left-leaning workforce. During a visit to Twitter, when it was a tiny 25-person company, they had a Wheaties box taped to the front door, with Obama's head taped to the head, and McCain to the bottom.

Musk is representing the "conservative" voices, and he decided the Twitter files are a thing. In fact, the represent mostly internal communications, between employees, trying to decide, on their own, whether certain stories should be censored, because they're meant to impact election results as fake news.

In fact, and as Matt Taibbi, the journalist who was granted access stated, no one in the Federal Government, or Democrat Party officials, were involved in suppressing stories. In fact, Rep Ro Khana (Silicon Valley, Democrat), sent an email to Twitter execs, urging them not to censor any stories, leading them to unblock the Hunter Laptop coverage 2 days later.

Interestingly, the coverage from from the NY Post and Fox, and we know how open these two news sources to ALL stories.

It's a nothing burger, but the fake accounts are back on SW promoting them.

LegendofPeza · 61-69, M

Apparently , Musk's and Taibbi's great reveal was supposed to prove that the government , in cahoots with Twitter , suppressed the laptop story for political purposes. It's worth pointing out that 'the government' was actually the Trump administration at the time.

It proved no such thing , but that doesn't matter. It's the way it's interpreted by the MAGA crowd , Trump , and his goons in the House that matters. They will spin it to death in their upcoming show trial of Hunter Biden.

No-one outside of that coterie gives a flying fuck about the non-story , but no doubt we will soon be hearing how it's bigger than Watergate. Again.

Ynotisay · M

Because FREEDOM OF SPEECH! Facts are inconsequential. Big bombshells that deliver nothing don't matter. What matters is the "fight."
It does prove one thing. People like Trump and Musk, who wouldn't walk across the street to spit on a Conservative, have figured out how remarkably easy they are to manipulate. Conservatives despised what those two were about until they were fed the idea that there's enemies out to get them. Now Trump and Musk are heroes fighting for their 'rights.' It never ceases to blow my mind.