Congress probes Twitter over Biden's son's laptop
The Republican majority has launched an investigation into Twitter. The first hearing was held this week, where former company executives appeared. The main question is whether the moderation of the social network was politically biased? It is also being examined whether there was pressure from the government and the FBI. In short, company executives admitted that they deliberately withheld information about Hunter Biden's laptop in the run-up to the 2020 election. They expressed regret for this action and admitted that it was a mistake. As for external interference in the company's moderation policies, neither acknowledged external pressure from the FBI and other agencies. One of the company's ex-executives, Yoel Roth, admitted that Twitter had negotiated with government agencies, but insisted that the final decision was always up to the company.
Another ex-head of the company, James Baker, confirmed his colleague’s words and said that the company had not received any instructions to ban news about Hunter Biden’s laptop. The decision to ban the release of information about the son of the future president was based on the problems of 2016. Let me remind you that it was in this cycle that Trump became president. Ex-Twitter employees cited a desire to avoid the same problems that occurred with the “Russian trace” during Trump’s victory. But the new owner of the company, Elon Musk, has a different opinion, who in his series of Twitter Files materials briefly defended two theses based on internal documents of the social network:
1. There was no “Russian trace” in the 2016 elections, only a request from the FBI to find this trace. The first attempt to audit the company was a failure; there were less than 20 “pro-Russian” accounts. The second attempt, after pressure from the government and special agencies, allowed us to find additional accounts in defense of this concept.
2. The decision to ban the theme of Hunter Biden’s laptop was made under pressure from the intelligence services. A special department was created within the company to coordinate moderation policies regarding sensitive content during the 2020 elections.
Why is it important to follow these hearings? There are now two positions regarding Twitter and its influence on politics. One thing comes down to the fact that the company became a victim of circumstances and political infighting on the part of the government and the FBI. Another, represented by Elon Musk, says that the company deliberately cooperated and was even proud of how it opposed Trump and conservative Americans. Former leaders, out of their own ideological motives, banned Trump and his supporters. Congressional hearings will help better understand how this company operates and what algorithms it uses to moderate its content. Ordinary users benefit from such hearings.
Author: Pavel Dubravsky
