Dan GillmorJun 6, 2023

"Basically, Twitter’s own lawyers are admitting in a court filing that the guy who owns their company is spewing utter nonsense about what the Twitter Files revealed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like this."

https://www.techdirt.com/2023/06/05/twitter-admits-in-court-filing-elon-musk-is-simply-wrong-about-government-interference-at-twitter/

As usual, @mmasnick is doing the reporting that Big Journalism can't be bothered to do in a timely way. In this case, he explains what a legal document says.

Twitter Admits in Court Filing: Elon Musk Is Simply Wrong About Government Interference At Twitter

It is amazing the degree to which some people will engage in confirmation bias and believe absolute nonsense, even as the facts show the opposite is true. Over the past few months, we’ve gone throu…

Techdirt
Show threadnewsorpigalJun 6, 2023

@dangillmor @mmasnick

Musk is a disgusting person. But he's right about one thing: Twitter conspired with the US government to influence what's on Twitter.

This is absolutely horrifying.

Show threadMike Masnick ✅Jun 6, 2023
@newsorpigal um. no. there is zero evidence to support that. @dangillmor
Show threadnewsorpigalJun 6, 2023

@mmasnick @dangillmor

American social media is infiltrated with US spies. here is just one example: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11562433/Facebook-riddled-ex-CIA-agents-ex-FBI-agents-work-Twitter.html

I don't know about you, but I prefer my social media to be free of CIA-thugs.

The only good thing about Musk is that he's taking a sledgehammer approach to American spies. It's fun to watch.

Facebook is riddled with ex-CIA agents while many ex-FBI agents work at Twitter

Former CIA agents made up some of the top ranks in almost every politically sensitive department at Meta, as former FBI agents migrated over to Twitter in droves before the 2020 election.

Daily Mail
Show threadDan GillmorJun 6, 2023
@newsorpigal I would not cite the Daily Mail as evidence of anything. @mmasnick
Show threadnewsorpigalJun 6, 2023

@dangillmor
@mmasnick

There are names in the article that you can look up in LinkedIn. There are ex-CIA/FBI employees employed by social media companies.

Show threaddragonfrogJun 6, 2023
@newsorpigal @dangillmor @mmasnick yes, just as the are ex-Air Canada employees working for major universities. It doesn't mean the airline industry has "infiltrated" academia, it means the airline industry has*lost those employees*. That's how labour force mobility works.
Show threadnewsorpigalJun 6, 2023

@dragonfrog
@dangillmor @mmasnick

Air Canada is not a murderous organization engaged in human rights abuses.

Show threaddragonfrogJun 6, 2023

@newsorpigal @dangillmor @mmasnick

That is true but also irrelevant to the point I am making: Ex-employees are not employees. Whether the former employer was morally good, neutral, or outright evil, it is *former*.

An employer losing employees to another industry is not "infiltrating" that industry, it's just losing employees. My employer's protective services department (i.e. building security) hires many retired cops. That's not "infiltration" - a pension is different from a salary.

Show threadnewsorpigalJun 6, 2023

@dragonfrog
@dangillmor @mmasnick

Would you hire someone that has Taliban on their resume? I would not. It's the same with CIA.

Show threaddragonfrog

@newsorpigal @dangillmor @mmasnick

My point isn't that hiring ex-CIA employees is a good thing.

It is only that objecting to hiring ex-CIA employees is valid, but framing that objection as being "infiltrated with US spies" only confuses the point and gets in the way of making that actual objection.

As to whether I'd hire an ex-Taliban - it depends what they did, and what the job is. One thing that surely doesn't help in weakening the Taliban is if it's impossible to leave it.

Jun 6, 2023 at 4:22pmWeb
Show threadnewsorpigalJun 6, 2023

@dragonfrog
@dangillmor @mmasnick

This is why social media companies are hiring ex-spies: https://mastodon.social/@newsorpigal/110498088390947558