March 1, 2023
While the Twitter Files have uncovered a wide variety of topics, nearly all of them share a commonality: Twitter had been secretly censoring Twitter users that executives personally disagreed with, including when no terms of service had truly been violated.
This typically affected those on the conservative side of the political aisle, though some on the left were censored as well, primarily those that didn’t fit the status quo.
It’s been revealed that numerous accounts had been put on blacklists and set as “do not amplify” among other forms of censorship conducted by Twitter. This is all in spite of the fact that Jack Dorsey, a former CEO of Twitter, testified under oath when speaking to Democrat Representative Mike Doyle in 2018 that Twitter did not partake in censoring accounts.
Doyle: “I want to read a few quotes about Twitter’s practices, and I just want you to tell me if they’re true or not. ‘Social media is being rigged to censor conservatives.’ Is that true of Twitter?”
Dorsey: “No.”
Doyle: “Are you censoring people?”
Dorsey: “No.”
Doyle: “Twitter’s shadow-banning prominent Republicans. Is that true?”
Dorsey: “No.”
How much Dorsey knew is unclear, as we do know Twitter executives did a lot without bringing it to his attention.
What we do know, however, is that this statement was untrue, as numerous prominent conservative accounts were in fact put on blacklists and set as “do not amplify” among other things.
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