Right-wing media have made and amplified numerous false claims surrounding the “Twitter Files,” even though many of the revelations in the threads were already public or previously debunked.
In the last two weeks, a series of Twitter threads from various journalists, dubbed the “Twitter Files,” have purported to reveal new information about censorship on the platform prior to Elon Musk’s acquisition. Right-wing media have latched onto the files in a shallow attempt to try to substantiate allegations that conservative voices are unfairly suppressed on mainstream social media platforms.
In reality, these Twitter threads have revealed very little new information and largely show Twitter’s internal conversations around content moderation. Perhaps one of the most alarming elements of the files is that Musk seems to have given certain right-wing journalists access to user data, which has already begun to raise eyebrows among privacy advocates, including Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.
A self-described “free speech absolutist,” Musk has used his own Twitter account to promote right-wing content and attack anything he deems “woke.” Since taking over Twitter in October, he has reinstated extreme right-wing accounts; used the platform to attack Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Yoel Roth, former head of trust and safety at Twitter; and disbanded the platform’s Trust and Safety Council.
Musk has characterized himself both as...
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