By Will
Glenn Greenwald dropped the latest updated in the Twitter Files saga on Tuesday night, showing Americans that Twitter was far from the only Big Tech company or social media service in on working with the US government and agencies within it to censor dissidents.
Posting about that in a Twitter files thread, Greenwald said “For the crime of reporting that the US Security State agencies are heavily involved in Big Tech’s censorship regime, and for confessing that he found this deeply disturbing, liberals have spent a full week saying that @mtaibbi has mental health problems and needs therapy.”
A post of Greenwald’s also included a post from Matt Taibbi, one of the other journalists involved in reporting on the Twitter files, in which Taibbi said “The government was in constant contact not just with Twitter but with virtually every major tech firm. These included Facebook, Microsoft, Verizon, Reddit, even Pinterest, and many others. Industry players also held regular meetings without government.”
Elon Musk, commenting on the matter, said “Most people don’t appreciate the significance of the point Matt was making: *Every* social media company is engaged in heavy censorship, with significant involvement of and, at times, explicit direction of the government. Google frequently makes links disappear, for example.“
Most people don’t appreciate the significance of the point Matt was making:
*Every* social media company is engaged in heavy censorship, with significant involvement of and, at times, explicit direction of the government.
Google frequently makes links disappear, for example.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2022
Greenwald, in response, then said “When Dems controlled both houses of Congress and the WH (and Exec Branch), they repeatedly summoned Big Tech CEOs and openly and explicitly threatened them: if you don’t *censor more*, you will be punished. And DHS/FBI/CIA applied immense pressure“. Elon responded by saying “Exactly“.
Exactly!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2022
That wasn’t all Elon had to say recently about the Twitter Files and the horror show behind the curtain that they exposed. He also blasted the corporate press, saying “Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people?” That was in response to a tweet saying “On my substack: Establishment journalists’ response to the Twitter Files is that of a profession committed to protecting the state instead of exposing it.”
Why is corporate journalism rushing to defend the state instead of the people? https://t.co/uqR0MwiqCx
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 27, 2022
Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton, adding yet more color to what was going on, said “When @Twitter and other Big Tech companies “meet” with the FBI and other fed agencies — they are meeting with their judge, jury, and executioner all at once.”
Similarly, a conservative commentator named Nick Flor said “It goes beyond censorship. Censorship is just the weapon. The goal of the Democrat party (and whoever controls them) is the manipulation of minds. And social media companies are willing, & gleeful, soldiers in the mass brainwashing of society in the name of The Greater Good™”
Elon also said that he was “open to the idea” of buying Substack in response to a post from Wall Street Silver saying “Would it make sense for Twitter to buy Substack and more tightly connect the two platforms. Twitter plus Substack creates instantly massive competition for obsolete legacy corporate media.”