On Twitter, Part 3

I keep banging on about Twitter because I don't think its new owner is as benevolent or as good as he thinks he is. His lack of leadership will likely have spillover effects in the real world.

I'm hesitant to say that bad ownership will cost lives or what-have-you. Disinformation and propaganda are as likely to spread via WhatsApp or Telegram or through local networks. Would we have found out about the Arab Spring without Twitter? Probably, yes since there are news services with bureaus or correspondents in Tunisia and Egypt.

Still, it's not great to have to choose between keeping my online community and supporting the world's richest internet troll. Here are some links.

Twitter grapples with Chinese spam obscuring news of protests

News of protests were going to get out anyway. Most major news agencies and a few minor ones have a bureau or correspondent that covers China. Still, if the goal is to disrupt communications and make it harder for journalists outside of China to learn about these protests, here's one way to do it.

How susceptible is Elon Musk to CCP pressure?

Heather Timmons of Reuters asks a very important question, both in regards to how 🦨 will manage tweets about Chinese protests, and how he might expose and endanger Twitter users under government pressure. The thread is full of links that argue this point.

To Save Twitter, Elon Musk Should Fire Himself

Foreign Policy answers Timmons‘ question, noting that his purchase was co-financed by entities with links to China, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.