Tyb
Yesterdays tweets in a paste for convenience.
Matt Taibbi Dec 9, 2022
https://controlc.com/6bc51a35
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
1. TWITTER FILES, PART 4
The Removal of Donald Trump: January 7
As the pressure builds, Twitter executives build the case for a permanent ban
6:28 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601720455005511680
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
On Jan 7, senior Twitter execs:
- create justifications to ban Trump
- seek a change of policy for Trump alone, distinct from other political leaders
- express no concern for the free speech or democracy implications of a ban
This #TwitterFiles is reported with @lwoodhouse
6:29 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601720754126528512
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
For those catching up, please see:
Part 1, where @mtaibbi documents how senior Twitter executives violated their own policies to prevent the spread of accurate information about Hunter Biden’s laptop;
Quote Tweet
Matt Taibbi @mtaibbi
Dec 2
-
Thread: THE TWITTER FILES
Show this thread
6:30 PM · Dec 10, 2022
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Part 2, where @bariweiss shows how senior Twitter execs created secret blacklists to “de-amplify” disfavored Twitter users, not just specific tweets;
Quote Tweet
Bari Weiss
@bariweiss
·
Dec 8
THREAD: THE TWITTER FILES PART TWO.
TWITTER’S SECRET BLACKLISTS.
Show this thread
6:32 PM · Dec 10, 2022
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
·
44m
Replying to
@ShellenbergerMD
And Part 3, where @mtaibbi documents how senior Twitter execs censored tweets by Trump in the run-up to the Nov 2020 election while regularly engaging with representatives of U.S. government law enforcement agencies.
Quote Tweet
Matt Taibbi
@mtaibbi
·
Dec 9
-
THREAD: The Twitter Files
THE REMOVAL OF DONALD TRUMP
Part One: October 2020-January 6th
Show this thread
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601721477690449920
he seems to be meticulous
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
For years, Twitter had resisted calls to ban Trump.
“Blocking a world leader from Twitter,” it wrote in 2018, “would hide important info… [and] hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions."
Quote Tweet
Twitter Public Policy
@Policy
·
Jan 5, 2018
Blocking a world leader from Twitter or removing their controversial Tweets would hide important information people should be able to see and debate. It would also not silence that leader, but it would certainly hamper necessary discussion around their words and actions'.
Show this thread
6:35 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601722214507638784
Who the fuck is she, Shellenberger?
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
But after the events of Jan 6, the internal and external pressure on Twitter CEO @jack grows.
Former First Lady @michelleobama, tech journalist @karaswisher, @ADL , high-tech VC @ChrisSacca , and many others, publicly call on Twitter to permanently ban Trump.
6:44 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601724559836983296
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Dorsey was on vacation in French Polynesia the week of January 4-8, 2021. He phoned into meetings but also delegated much of the handling of the situation to senior execs @yoyoel , Twitter’s Global Head of Trust and Safety, and @vijaya Head of Legal, Policy, & Trust.
6:48 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601725472202596352
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
As context, it's important to understand that Twitter’s staff & senior execs were overwhelmingly progressive.
In 2018, 2020, and 2022, 96%, 98%, & 99% of Twitter staff's political donations went to Democrats.
Quote Tweet
Matt Taibbi
@mtaibbi
·
Dec 2
-
This system wasn't balanced. It was based on contacts. Because Twitter was and is overwhelmingly staffed by people of one political orientation, there were more channels, more ways to complain, open to the left (well, Democrats) than the right.
https://opensecrets.org/orgs/twitter/summary?id=D000067113
Show this thread
6:52 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601726483004723201
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
In 2017, Roth tweeted that there were “ACTUAL NAZIS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.”
In April 2022, Roth told a colleague that his goal “is to drive change in the world,” which is why he decided not to become an academic.
6:54 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601727103501627392
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
On January 7, @Jack emails employees saying Twitter needs to remain consistent in its policies, including the right of users to return to Twitter after a temporary suspension'''
After, Roth reassures an employee that "people who care about this… aren't happy with where we are"
6:59 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601728399076388865
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Around 11:30 am PT, Roth DMs his colleagues with news that he is excited to share.
“GUESS WHAT,” he writes. “Jack just approved repeat offender for civic integrity.”
The new approach would create a system where five violations ("strikes") would result in permanent suspension.
7:09 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601730927583186944
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
“Progress!” exclaims a member of Roth’s Trust and Safety Team. '
'The exchange between Roth and his colleagues makes clear that they had been pushing @jack for greater restrictions on the speech Twitter allows around elections.
7:12 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601731730922442752
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
The colleague wants to know if the decision means Trump can finally be banned. The person asks, "does the incitement to violence aspect change that calculus?”
Roth says it doesn't. "Trump continues to just have his one strike" (remaining).
7:17 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601732795977433088
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Roth's colleague's query about "incitement to violence" heavily foreshadows what will happen the following day.
On January 8, Twitter announces a permanent ban on Trump due to the "risk of further incitement of violence."
7:24 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601734750565040129
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
On J8, Twitter says its ban is based on "specifically how [Trump's tweets] are being received & interpreted."
But in 2019, Twitter said it did "not attempt to determine all potential interpretations of the content or its intent.”
https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2019/worldleaders2019
7:31 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601736307125862400
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
The only serious concern we found expressed within Twitter over the implications for free speech and democracy of banning Trump came from a junior person in the organization. It was tucked away in a lower-level Slack channel known as “site-integrity-auto."
7:38 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601738099062558720
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
"This might be an unpopular opinion but one off ad hoc decisions like this that don’t appear rooted in policy are imho a slippery slope… This now appears to be a fiat by an online platform CEO with a global presence that can gatekeep speech for the entire world…"
7:40 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601738653805387779
I am collecting these drops, yesterday too many weren't collected. They will be in a paste at the end, as well.
Tyvm
o7
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Twitter employees use the term "one off" frequently in their Slack discussions. Its frequent use reveals significant employee discretion over when and whether to apply warning labels on tweets and "strikes" on users. Here are typical examples.
7:45 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601739924276846592
The substack yesterday only went to 32 when there were 67 posts.
Please check for a complete thread to emerge.
o7
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Recall from #TwitterFiles2 by @bariweiss that, according to Twitter staff, "We control visibility quite a bit. And we control the amplification of your content quite a bit. And normal people do not know how much we do."
Quote Tweet
Bari Weiss@bariweiss
Dec 8
11. “We control visibility quite a bit. And we control the amplification of your content quite a bit. And normal people do not know how much we do,” one Twitter engineer told us. Two additional Twitter employees confirmed.
Show this thread
8:08 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601745746423750656
I want all this data to be dropped in full for Anons to tear apart.
I dont care for these three different views on what happened.
pffft
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Twitter employees recognize the difference between their own politics & Twitter's Terms of Service (TOS), but they also engage in complex interpretations of content in order to stamp out prohibited tweets, as a series of exchanges over the "#stopthesteal" hashtag reveal.
8:10 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601746253284798469
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Roth immediately DMs a colleague to ask that they add "stopthesteal" & [QAnon conspiracy term] "kraken" to a blacklist of terms to be deamplified.
Roth's colleague objects that blacklisting "stopthesteal" risks "deamplifying counterspeech" that validates the election.
8:23 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601749506764046337
Who fucking knows?
Found muh self being impatient and rude again, kek
It will happen as it happens…
KEKING HARD
kek
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
Indeed, notes Roth's colleague, "a quick search of top stop the steal tweets and they’re counterspeech"
But they quickly come up with a solution: "deamplify accounts with stopthesteal in the name/profile" since "those are not affiliated with counterspeech"
8:35 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601752450368647168
REPORTED: Inciting Violence
Michael Shellenberger
@ShellenbergerMD
But it turns out that even blacklisting "kraken" is less straightforward than they thought. That's because kraken, in addition to being a QAnon conspiracy theory based on the mythical Norwegian sea monster, is also the name of a cryptocurrency exchange, and was thus "allowlisted"
8:44 PM · Dec 10, 2022
https://mobile.twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601754845056159745
Hey, I am dropping the tweets and you are fucking up the order they are being dropped in.
Find something else to do.
Go play in traffic.
kek, keep em, you will need them
T'is comfy
didnt like the intention of wanting another to kill themselves, this is a slap in the face to god, why not ask for forgiveness while repenting?…
wanting another to kill themselves is an abomination against life and god
filturd
you and your attitude is of no use to me.