Latest Twitter Files Detail Government's Push for Content Moderation
AllSides Summary
The latest "Twitter Files" appear to show how FBI acted as the "belly button" for requests from the U.S. government to moderate certain Twitter accounts and information on the platform.
The Details: Apparent screenshots of communications between Twitter and the FBI, posted to Twitter Tuesday by independent journalist Matt Taibbi (Center bias), show the evolution of direct connections between Twitter and government agencies after the platform took exception to 2020 State Department reports about Twitter accounts that spread propaganda and misinformation. Other screenshots show how Twitter then took content moderation requests from numerous state governments and federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security. The release also suggests that the office of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asked Twitter to suspend the account of journalist Paul Sperry in November 2020, which the platform declined to do.
How the Media Covered It: Right-rated outlets continue to cover the Twitter Files as a top story. Many highlighted Schiff's role in pushing for accounts to be suspended, and framed government agencies as biased and eager to oppress dissent. Very few left- and center-rated sources covered the latest installment, and few have reported on the Twitter Files at all. Politico (Lean Left bias) was the only left-rated source to make any mention of the latest release, saying in its daily newsletter that "Taibbi has the latest installment gaining traction on the right."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Twitter Files: Federal Agencies, Partisan Officials Demanded Accounts Be Removed
Leading up to the 2020 general election, Twitter received and obliged requests from federal and state government bodies as well as partisan officials to remove accounts they deemed problematic, a Tuesday installment of the “Twitter Files” exposé series reveals.
Throughout the fall of 2020, increasingly more agencies attempted to interlope in Twitter’s content moderation processes, which already involved the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and others.
For example, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) checked in on September 1 to confirm Twitter was heeding the FBI’s flagging of certain...
From the Right
Dem Rep. Adam Schiff wanted journalist Paul Sperry’s account suspended over reporting on Trump whistleblower, Twitter Files reveals
US Rep. Adam Schiff tried to get a journalist suspended from Twitter and to have “any and all content” related to House Intelligence Committee staffers removed from the site, according to the latest document dump authorized by new owner Elon Musk.
In Tuesday’s installment of the ongoing “Twitter Files,” independent journalist Matt Taibbi posted a Nov. 20, 2020, email regarding a request from the California Democrat’s office to suppress free speech on the social media platform.
Taibbi called it an example of the “astonishing variety of requests from officials asking for individuals they...
From the Right
'Twitter Files' document connection to government agencies via 'belly button' 
A new release of internal Twitter correspondence details the relationship between the social media company and government agencies, which one agent compared to a belly button.
The latest drop of the Twitter Files , a series of releases provided by Elon Musk to allies detailing communications of the social media platform's leadership, offers insights into the company's relationship with the FBI . The company established regular communications and received requests from an assortment of agencies, according to emails released by journalist Matt Taibbi. These connections were better formed after the company clashed with the Global Engagement Center, a State...
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