Amidst the criticism over the billionaire’s decision to prohibit a number of journalists from using Twitter, Elon Musk and his allies are releasing the most recent installment of a series that they have dubbed “The Twitter Files.”
According to Matt Taibbi, a former reporter for Rolling Stone, the most recent Twitter Files release will focus on the company’s ties with the FBI.
The drop occurred one day after Twitter and Musk banned five tech journalists from the platform for posting links to a real-time flight tracker that followed Musk’s private plane.
Previous dumps dealt with Twitter’s treatment of Hunter Biden’s laptop, the blacklisting of some conservative accounts, and the decision-making process behind the suspension of former President Donald Trump.
COMING at 4 est:
TWITTER: THE FBI SUBSIDIARY pic.twitter.com/jQFh72jHec
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 16, 2022
In other news;
Elon Musk defended his decision to ban people on Twitter who he said shared his private location data, putting his and his family’s security at risk. He also acknowledged that the subsequent outrage online is fueling his social media platform. Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of Tesla Inc., a company that designs, develops, and sells electric vehicles.
On Twitter, Mr. Musk gave a response to those who were critical of the ban by stating that he had taken the step because the site had rules against stalking people and not because the journalists were criticizing him.
In a reply to another user, he said, “Criticizing me all day long is absolutely fine, but doxxing my real-time whereabouts and harming my family is not.” He was referring to the fact that another user had threatened to do both of those things.
Following Mr. Musk’s move earlier this week to restrict access to an account that automatically tracked flights involving his private plane, accounts belonging to reporters working for outlets such as CNN and The New York Times were terminated. Following this, Twitter made changes to its rules that prevent users from publishing the present locations of other users without first obtaining their permission.
Among the individuals who were banned were journalists who had written articles that were critical of Mr. Musk and covered the choice that the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla had made to suppress information regarding his flight trips.
Mr. Musk claimed that Twitter would not treat journalists any differently than other users when selecting whom to ban, and he participated in a chat on Twitter Spaces with irate users that was organized by BuzzFeed’s Katie Notopoulos in the guise of a conference call.
Mr. Musk stated during the conversation that “everyone is going to be treated the same.” He went on to say that “you’re not unique because you’re a journalist, you’re simply [on] Twitter you’re a citizen.” “There will be no special treatment for you; if you dox, you will be suspended.” The end of the story”
Mr. Musk has asserted that his plane cannot be traced without access to nonpublic information, which has sparked a discussion about whether or not the tracking information is accessible to the public.
According to Mr. Musk, journalists who released links to the restricted information regarding his movements were engaging in an attempt to circumvent the rules.
If someone were to disclose the real-time whereabouts and addresses of New York Times reporters, the FBI would open an investigation, there would be hearings on Capitol Hill, and Vice President Joe Biden would give speeches about the end of democracy. On Thursday, Mr. Musk sent out a tweet.
The new owner of Twitter decided to poll the users of his site to see if they agreed with his decision, but the results showed that many did not. On Thursday, Mr. Musk published a poll in which users were given four options for determining when previously suspended users should restore access. A majority of respondents selected “now,” prompting Elon Musk to announce that he will conduct another survey on the topic.
Even if the billionaire decides to let the media personalities back onto his site, he has admitted that the decisions he has made regarding censorship are the source of the fury that brings people to his platform.
A user using the handle @Gfilche on Twitter wrote: “The mainstream media can’t stop talking about the drama on @twitter because it fuels the clickbait business.” “At the same time, it is bestowing more attention, press, and power than it has ever had before on Twitter. The rate of disruption is quickening.
On Friday, Mr. Musk responded to the user by posting an emoticon in the form of a bull’s-eye, which indicated that he thought the user was spot on.
