Less than a year after the Elon Musk deal to buy Twitter was completed, he is going back on his word in a way that is damning to our First Amendment. Initially promising to keep the outlet as a free space, a corner of the internet where it was almost like a town square. By doing this, Musk could help ensure at least part of the internet that already had a large reputation would not be run by the liberal left anymore.
Now all of that has changed.
Now known as X, Musk has proclaimed that he wants the platform to be for creators of all backgrounds. Photographers, writers, artists, etc. He has long believed X could be a one-stop shop and has said that’s what the long-term goal is for him by buying Twitter and rebranding it. Now he wants to take that a step further and ensure they have their hands in the elections as well.
Updating their Civic Integrity Policy enables political advertising and makes significant changes to the Community Notes tool. With this, specific individuals can add notes to posts per their announcement. This policy permits X to “label or remove false or misleading information about how to participate in an election or other civic process.” In their eyes, they believe it will allow them to guarantee people can feel safe when engaging in talks about politics openly with other users. New positions to go after what X deems to be “misinformation” have also been established as a result.
In an August 28th announcement, the company makes it clear that they have made significant changes. “During elections, our Civic Integrity Policy provides an extra layer of protection that is applied for a limited period of time before and during an election. We’re updating this policy to make sure we strike the right balance between tackling the most harmful types of content—those that could intimidate or deceive people into surrendering their right to participate in a civic process—and not censoring political debate.”
With X trying to promote a “freedom of speech, not reach” slogan, they want to keep content that could break their laws hidden or greatly reduced.
All in all, this is just like the policies that have come from Meta over the years. These very policies have shadow-banned Veterans, Senators, Governors, and even our own President from being able to reach their audience. Meanwhile, terrorists are permitted to keep up extremist videos, liberals keep pushing a pro-pedophile agenda, and their continued attempts to indoctrinate and poison our youth are celebrated as gospel.
These social media platforms have ruined what social media should stand for and how it should be run. Musk, along with his CEO Linda Yaccarino have both advocated for freedom of speech to be a cornerstone of X. Yet over a year out from the elections, they are doing everything they can to go back on their word for what the platform could be.
Instead, their push to poison and manipulate the platform will likely serve to only destroy what could have been the greatest place for discussion and debate on the face of the globe. Free expression has become a phrase that is more of a joke than a real thing here in the US. The liberal left has suggested that it is dangerous for people to think freely and openly. In turn, their supporters have eaten that bit up; hook, line, and sinker.
While criticizing conservatives out of one side of their mouth, proclaiming we lie, deceive, manipulate, or try to rig an election, they will (and have been caught doing), the VERY actions they accuse conservatives of. Even in the moment, they are doing it themselves. This is more than just narcissistic behavior. This is downright dangerous, and it could ultimately cost the nation gravely. Especially now they even have X starting to come around to their censorship demands.
