The third tranche of ‘Twitter Files,’ released on Friday (December 9, US local time), confirmed what we knew all along – The personal bias of top Twitter employees determined what form of speech was permissible on the social media platform.
The internal communications exposed how Republicans and conservative voices were censored, based on the whims and fancies of Twitter’s top executives. They revealed how a small group of Twitter employees controlled political discourse on the social media platform and sided with the Democrats.
The ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also showed how the content moderation team came up with one excuse or the other to justify their vicious attempts at censorship.
35. In another example, Twitter employees prepare to slap a “mail-in voting is safe” warning label on a Trump tweet about a postal screwup in Ohio, before realizing “the events took place,” which meant the tweet was “factually accurate”: pic.twitter.com/4r6nJ3JDmY
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
Independent Journalist Matt Taibbi, who covered the story, emphasised that former US President Donald Trump was targeted on multiple occasions by the same group.
Taibbi shared that Twitter employees were keen on putting a ‘label’ on Trump’s tweet about the Ohio ballot mishap, thereby suggesting that the former US President was misleading the public about 50,000 incorrectly mailed ballots in the state of Ohio.
To the despair of the Twitter employees, the story turned out to be true, and plans to include a disclaimer to Trump’s tweet on the subject were abandoned. Soon, the opportunity presented itself again and they were able to restrict the visibility of the US President’s tweet (despite no particular violation of Twitter rules).
“VERY WELL DONE ON SPEED”: the group is pleased the Trump tweet is dealt with quickly pic.twitter.com/WMyQjbWqNW
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
The top Twitter executives, including Yoel Roth (former Global Head of Trust & Safety), patted themselves on the back for quickly taking action against Donald Trump. When American actor James Woods pointed out how Twitter was suppressing the tweet of a sitting US President, the vindictive employees vowed revenge.
After it dawned on them that they could not censor him under any pretext, one employee announced, “…Can hit him hard in future vio with firmer basis.”
38. After Woods angrily quote-tweeted about Trump’s warning label, Twitter staff – in a preview of what ended up happening after J6 – despaired of a reason for action, but resolved to “hit him hard on future vio.” pic.twitter.com/dusFylxAXS
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
Matt Taibbi also pointed out that attempts were made to censor other Republicans, including Congressman Jody Hice, for simply tweeting that mailed ballots are vulnerable to fraud as compared to in-person voting.
Twitter had suggested that the tweet of the conservative leader, which is based on common sense, was somehow misleading by putting a label saying, “Voting by mail is safe and secure.”
39. Here a label is applied to Georgia Republican congresswoman Jody Hice for saying, “Say NO to big tech censorship!” and, “Mailed ballots are more prone to fraud than in-person balloting… It’s just common sense.” pic.twitter.com/aw9JAzmOAp
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
In December 2020, the top Twitter executives announced the launch of a new tool named ‘L3 Deamplification’ to censor the tweets of US President Donald Trump. The new tool would imply the de-amplification of tweets, alongside warning labels underneath the original tweet.
46. Some executives wanted to use the new deamplification tool to silently limit Trump’s reach more right away, beginning with the following tweet: pic.twitter.com/U7AJLF2wIt
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
“The significance is that it shows that Twitter, in 2020 at least, was deploying a vast range of visible and invisible tools to rein in Trump’s engagement, long before January 6 (US Capitol riots). The ban will come after other avenues are exhausted,” Matt Taibbi pointed out.
48. The significance is that it shows that Twitter, in 2020 at least, was deploying a vast range of visible and invisible tools to rein in Trump’s engagement, long before J6. The ban will come after other avenues are exhausted
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
The independent journalist also highlighted how top Twitter employees used cryptic terms to describe censorship instead of stating it explicitly. These terms included “bot” (automated heuristic moderation rule) and “bounce” (putting an account under review for 12 hours).
Other terms included “Interstitial” (putting a label atop a tweet) and “Public Interest Interstitial/PII” (a covering label applied for “public interest” reasons). Matt Taibbi pointed out that the Twitter moderation team also employed multiple “bots” against Donald Trump in the run-up to his permanent suspension.
50. In this instance, it appears moderators added a bot for a Trump claim made on Breitbart. The bot ends up becoming an automated tool invisibly watching both Trump and, apparently, Breitbart (“will add media ID to bot”). Trump by J6 was quickly covered in bots. pic.twitter.com/UhYQ31qIgn
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
After studying the extensive internal Twitter communications, Matt Taibbi said, “Before the (January 6) riots, the company was engaged in an inherently insane/impossible project, trying to create an ever-expanding, ostensibly rational set of rules to regulate every conceivable speech situation that might arise between humans.”
He further added, “This project was preposterous yet its leaders were unable to see this, having become infected with groupthink, coming to believe – sincerely – that it was Twitter’s responsibility to control, as much as possible, what people could talk about, how often, and with whom.”
This project was preposterous yet its leaders were unable to see this, having become infected with groupthing, coming to believe – sincerely – that it was Twitter’s responsibility to control, as much as possible, what people could talk about, how often, and with whom.
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
Taibbi stated how the top Twitter employees made rules on the go to rationalise their decisions. “The firm’s executives on day 1 of the January 6th crisis at least tried to pay lip service to its dizzying array of rules. By day 2, they began wavering. By day 3, a million rules were reduced to one: what we say, goes,” he concluded.
57. The firm’s executives on day 1 of the January 6th crisis at least tried to pay lip service to its dizzying array of rules. By day 2, they began wavering. By day 3, a million rules were reduced to one: what we say, goes
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
Leniency towards Democrats
‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also pointed out how the top Twitter employees let their personal biases, political preferences, and ideological inclinations cloud their sense of judgment and public responsibility.
While the second tranche of Twitter Files exposed that the Twitter content moderation team routinely censored right-wing journalists and conservative activists under one pretext or the other, the same treatment was not meted out to the leftists, liberals, and Democrats.
Matt Taibbi revealed that pro-Biden tweets, which openly cast aspersions about the integrity of US Presidential elections and falsely accused Donald Trump of hijacking the votes, were given a free pass by Twitter executives.
42. “THAT’S UNDERSTANDABLE”: Even the hashtag #StealOurVotes – referencing a theory that a combo of Amy Coney Barrett and Trump will steal the election – is approved by Twitter brass, because it’s “understandable” and a “reference to… a US Supreme Court decision.” pic.twitter.com/6BjJhjypD2
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
In one case, former Attorney General of the United States (2009- 2015) Eric Holder peddled the disinformation that Donald Trump “deliberately crippled” the US postal service to interfere in the electoral process.
The Twitter moderation team responded to the fake news with a generic warning label but was quick to remove it when Yoel Roth (former Global Head of Trust & Safety who justified the censorship of Hunter Biden story) insisted.
43. In this exchange, again unintentionally humorous, former Attorney General Eric Holder claimed the U.S. Postal Service was “deliberately crippled,”ostensibly by the Trump administration. He was initially hit with a generic warning label, but it was quickly taken off by Roth: pic.twitter.com/UXoXxE9E1S
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) December 10, 2022
“Hey folks – Can we reverse the label on this tweet,” Yoel Roth asked. The other Twitter executives readily complied with his request. ‘Twitter Files 3.0’ also made it clear how the left-wing bias of the top executives determined who got to keep his/her views forward.
Donald Trump thanks Elon Musk for releasing the ‘Twitter Files’
Hours after the third tranche of ‘Twitter Files’ was released to the public, Donald Trump thanked Elon Musk for exposing how the FBI and the Justice Department colluded with Twitter officials to manipulate the 2020 US Presidential elections.
While taking to his social media platform Truth Social on Friday, Trump said, “ELON: The Twitter releases are a revelation in that they show, in a very powerful fashion, the FBI and “Justice” illegally colluding, proving conclusively, in one more very powerful way, that the 2020 Presidential Election was Rigged & Stolen.”
.@realDonaldTrump thanks @ElonMusk for his disclosures and seeks more info from @Twitter Files. pic.twitter.com/WUNb3wP3F9
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) December 9, 2022
“What everyone is REALLY waiting to see, however, is the Twitter information and thought process leading up to the time of the so-called “Election,” and ultimately the “Deplatforming” of the President of the United States. Big moment in history. Thank you!” he further added.
While responding to his message on Twitter, Musk informed that transcripts of more internal communications will be released in the coming days.
It must be mentioned that Truth Social is an alternate social media platform, created by Trump Media & Technology Group, after the former US President was de-platformed from Twitter in the wake of the US Capitol riots of January 6, 2021. Last month, Elon Musk reinstated the Twitter account of Donald Trump after buying Twitter out.
