London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Were Twitter moderators too close to the intelligence community?

Were Twitter moderators too close to the intelligence community?

Since multi-billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter, he has sought to thoroughly shake things up at the social media platform, bringing large amounts of both praise and criticism. One key plank of this was releasing a trove of the company's internal communications to a hand-picked group of journalists.
His aim was to back up claims that Twitter has actively sought to censor certain facts, and had a political agenda with regard to its content moderation policy. 

In the most recent release from the so-called ‘Twitter Files’, employees at the company were portrayed as becoming increasingly worried after the 2016 US Presidential election. 

Internal emails show Twitter bosses wanted to be seen as more proactive in tackling alleged Russian-linked accounts on the platform.


It eventually led to an alleged new policy. In public, content would be removed at the ‘sole discretion’ of Twitter, but in private the company would increasingly take down accounts “identified by the US intelligence community as a state-sponsored entity conducting cyber-operations.”


It’s not unusual that intelligence agencies would talk to a social media company like Twitter, warning them of any potentially threatening or misleading accounts. 

However, some argue that they went too far in trying to advise Twitter. It’s alleged that the company was paid around €3.5 million ($3,415,323) and that there may be a conflict of interest. 


But does this narrative of collusion and impropriety hold up to scrutiny? Twitter seeking reimbursement for cases that it has been asked to look into by government agencies isn’t new or illegal. 

On its website the company notes how it may “seek reimbursement for costs associated with information produced pursuant to legal process and as permitted by law (e.g., under 18 U.S.C. §2706).”

Moreover, the FBI has denied that it explicitly told Twitter to take down any post or account, saying “private sector entities independently make decisions about what action they take after the FBI has notified them” (italics added).

Many people, especially on the political right, have recently sought to discredit the FBI after its raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago home.

Nonetheless, the latest revelations have led some to question whether Twitter users were being censored and whether Twitter’s content moderation policy was its own, or whether it was partially outsourced to the US intelligence community.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×