Post Misrepresents Democrats’ History of Opposing Platform Monopolies
Facts And Fact Checking,Senate Democrats,Technology,Washington Post
Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer to buy Twitter was criticized by several prominent Democrats. But a social media post misleadingly claims Democrats didn’t speak out against companies buying out competitors and creating monopolies until Musk bought Twitter. Democrats have opposed monopoly power and encouraged competition for years.
On April 25, Twitter’s board of directors agreed to sell Twitter to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for roughly $44 billion. Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” announced his move was a way to loosen restrictions on the social media platform.
The deal — which still needs approval from shareholders and U.S. corporate regulators — is not yet complete. Several Democrats, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, expressed their opposition by saying Musk’s deal is “dangerous for our democracy” or a cause for concern.
But Common Sense, a Facebook page that says it “pokes fun at hypocrisy,” posted an image that falsely suggests Democrats didn’t speak out against platform monopolies until after Musk agreed to buy Twitter.
