After the “Thursday Night Massacre” on Twitter, Elon Musk is criticized from all sides
“massacre on Thursday night”: they got such a nickname, by a reputable computer security researcher, the strangest things (so far) that happened on Twitter on the evening of Thursday, December 15th. It all started when many leading American journalists – for example, wrote for publications New York Timesthe Washington post, CNN Where The Intercept – it was determined that their accounts were suspended. Without warning or explanation.
“I got banned from Twitter yesterday“, writes Michée Lee on the research site The Intercept where he explains the chronology of events in detail. He was merely punished for tweeting that Elon Musk had suspended the Twitter account of Mastodon, his arch-rival in the micro-blogging business that has driven millions of refractory people into exile in recent weeks. billionaire philosophy. This non-profit platform tweeted before it was deleted.”Did you know? You can follow @ElonJet on Mastodon ten”, because it was this account where the scandal took place.
A jet, a car and an elusive stalker
ElonJet is an account (formerly on Twitter, today on Mastodon, and ironically, Donald Trump’s social network Truth Social) that uses public data to provide the real-time position of Elon Musk’s private jet. The latter hated it a few months ago, even trying to get it back from its young owner”Jack Sweeney, a 20-year-old student, for $5,000”, as Donnie Sullivan, a political and technology journalist CNNbut also the victimMassacre on Thursday night” (probably because of this article).
Faced with the latter’s rejection, Twitter’s new owner decided on Wednesday to suspend his account and change the platform’s rules to ban “doxxing,” or the disclosure of an individual’s personal information.
There’s Sweeney “published my exact location in real time, i.e. the coordinates to assassinate me”, Musk chargedbefore explaining this”crazy stalker” followed his son X’s car from the airport. But as mentioned Daily animalciting the work of an online investigative journalist working for Bellingcat, Musk did not provide any evidence for these accusations, nor did he complain; As for the video he posted to support his statements, its geolocation proves it was not filmed near an airport.
In other words, there is no definite connection between the @ElonJet account and the hypothetical stalker because “tracking a car is very different from tracking a plane“. It could also be that the whole thing was designed to justify the decision to delete the account of Jack Sweeney and those who complained about this censorship.
Sanctions, “soon”?
Critics were not long after the daily newsletter Atlantic suitable”a giant whim“. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said to himself on Friday “very worried” The Qatar channel reports that the arbitrary activity of journalists on Twitter has been suspended Al Jazeera. “This decision sets a dangerous precedent at a time when journalists around the world face censorship, physical threats and worse.”“said Dujarric. In the US, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon defended the banned journalists, saying that at this rate Musk would quickly build Twitter.out of date”.
The vice president of the European Commission, whose mandate includes the rule of law and disinformation, Vera Jourova wrote on her Twitter account that “The EU Digital Services Act requires respect for media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced by our #MediaFreedomAct.” He also promisedsanctions soon” If Elon Musk had continued to pass “red lines”.
the Washington post The European Union’s digital services law, called the DSA (Digital Services Act), says it will bind companies in the digital industry from 2024.more aggressively monitor illegal content on their platforms and be more transparent about how their moderation systems work“. Under these new rules, Twitter as it currently operates – with reduced moderation services by Musk and overly vertical and arbitrary decision-making – could therefore be subject to heavy fines.
“Another step in the infantilization of American life”
For New York Times“Elon Musk’s decisions this week are sparking a heated debate about the complex issues of freedom of expression and online censorship.” they also emphasize their rolepress barons“, whom “Citizen Mask“, and”Before him, William Randolph Hearst or Rupert Murdoch“. One of its editors is surprised by a newspaper being censored by Twitter.whether Twitter’s days as the media’s favorite social platform are numbered and whether journalists should consider alternatives“.
An article of vitriol Atlantic it is also persistent in its political dimension.Massacre on Thursday night“. “A narcissist like Musk going off the rails is usually not a matter of public interest. But just like Donald Trump’s anger […], Musk’s crises can affect our culture and access to information“, – writes columnist Tom Nichols.
Acknowledging that bigger things are happening in the world, he details why”The PC version of Desperate Housewives” applies to all of us, not just bluebird addicts. Twitter is not just for “change pictures of pets […], it is also an extremely valuable channel for news, information, culture and discussion. Twitter does not control the news, but it helps shape public debate on many topics“.
Calling Musk’s vision for free speech “nonsense” – which believes that white supremacy is less problematic than journalists reporting on private jets – Tom Nichols is the whole thing “Another step in the infantilization of American life“. He could easily have written:the world“.
