The sixth part of ‘Twitter Files’, which was released by Independent journalist Matt Taibbi on Friday, revealed how Twitter was treated as a ‘subsidiary’ by the FBI. Various accounts were flagged by the government body for harmful ‘misinformation’ since January 2020. Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.
Holding the tech giant’s reins
On November 22, an email was sent to Twitter from the FBI’s San Francisco office in which four accounts were flagged that ‘may potentially constitute violations of Twitter’s Terms of Service’. One of those accounts had the most satirical tweets, however, the employees at Twitter still hurriedly started to ‘look for reasons to suspend’ the mentioned account.
The FBI’s social media-focused task force unit grew to 80 agents and outside security think tanks and contractors were partnered with the Department of Homeland Security partnering ‘to pressure Twitter to moderate content’, according to journalist Matt Taibbi. During the 2016 elections, the FBI increased its focus on social media, particularly during mid-term elections.
Twitter presence in FBI meetings
Twitter executive John Taibbiographer John Sutter has released the sixth instalment of his six-part series on the social media platform. He says the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were ‘adamant’ that classified information can be shared with Twitter executives. The alleged threat of the spread of Iranian and Russian misinformation was highlighted in FBI bulletins, along with the ‘Domestic Violent Extremist Threat’.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent ‘possible violative content’ to Twitter for review. One of the materials sent to review was described by an employee as a ‘monumental undertaking’ which required help from several employees. Taibbi’s report highlighted the flagging of similar content by the state governments, DHS and partner organisations like the Center for Internet Security and Election Integrity Project.
Conservative journalist Matt Taibbi has accused the FBI of using Twitter as a ‘permanent, end-in-itself surveillance operation’. The FBI has refused to comment on whether any classified information was provided by Twitter. Private sector companies independently make decisions about what action they take on their platforms and for their customers after the FBI has notified them.
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