Absolute power corrupts absolutely – isn’t that the way the old saying goes?
Elon Musk’s recent takeover of social media giant Twitter was meant to usher in a new free speech bonanza for the online leviathan, as the Tesla CEO repeatedly promised to “unlock” the full power of the site.
Instead, it appears as though Musk has been busy using his newfound power to mold the platform to his very specific tastes, including taking action against accounts that are less than favorable to him personally.
A Twitter user who runs an account which tracks Elon Musk’s private jet says it has been shadowbanned since Musk bought the platform.
Jack Sweeney, the person behind the jet tracking account, ElonJet, took to Twitter on Sunday to accuse the social media platform of suppressing the automated account.
Sweeney had apparent proof as well.
In a thread Sweeney dubbed, “My Twitter Files,” he claimed an anonymous Twitter employee informed him that his ElonJet account was “visibility limited/restricted to a severe degree internally” on December 2.
He also shared what appeared to be an internal Twitter message from Ella Irwin, Twitter’s new head of Trust and Safety, requesting that ElonJet be subjected to “heavy VF [visibility filtering].
Musk had attempted to subvert Sweeney previously with offer to buy the account in question. Sweeney declined the offer.
