|
December 10, 2022, 6:35 AM
Enter Techmeme snapshot date and time:
|
Mediagazer
memeorandum
WeSmirchTop News
| Sara Fischer / Axios: |
Sources: LLCs tied to the CEO of crypto news site The Block secretly received $43M in Alameda loans, used in part to buy and run the site; CEO has now resigned — The Block, a media company that says it covers crypto news independently, has been secretly funded for over a year with money funneled …
Tweets: @sarafischer, @mccaffrmike, @fintechfrank, @autismcapital, @tier10k, @punk6529, @tier10k, @mccaffrmike, @zhusu, @mccaffrmike, @mashinsky, @lawmaster, @mccaffrmike, @realdannynelson, @nlw, @kyleldavies, @danheld, @lawmaster, @twobitidiot, @coinmamba, @econoar, @btcgandalf, @cobie, @iamdcinvestor, @cokiehasiotis, @mdudas, @novogratz, @xbt002, @iankar_, @zhusu, @caseyjohnston, @cobie, @lawmaster, @pythianism, @fintechfrank, @sassal0x, @zhusu, @mdudas, @tier10k, @epsilontheory, @bitcoinissaving, @nlw, @jeetsidhu_, @defiyst, @fintechfrank, @fintechfrank, @coffeebreak_yt, @lawmaster, @lawmaster, @hsakatrades, @fintechfrank, @axios, @fintechfrank, @mdudas, @tier10k, @mccaffrmike, @mccaffrmike, @jeffjohnroberts, @swagtimus, @zosegal, @iohk_charles, @adamscochran, @alexandre_lores, @ddiamond, @joshconstine, @autismcapital, @jeffgiesea, @robinwauters, @johnbiggs, @timccopeland, @teroterotero, @twobitidiot, @sarafischer, @adamscochran, @tomaxwell, @jacqmelinek, @samro, @novogratz, @fredbenenson, @mdudas, @venturecoinist, @iamdcinvestor, @jeffjohnroberts, @lynaldencontact, @coffeebreak_yt, @mdudas, @saylor, @hsakatrades, @mdudas, @colinwilhelm, @mayazi, @bitboy_crypto, @amuse, @adamscochran, @mikeisaac, @hudsonjameson, @sarahnemerson, @anthony, @ryanjamesweeks, @alexandergrieve, @domschiener, @jespow, and @theblock__
More:
Bobby Moran / The Block: CEO Transition — Today, Mike McCaffrey is stepping down as CEO of The Block, and I am stepping into that role immediately.
Sarah Kopit / The Block: The Block CEO resigns after failure to disclose loans from Bankman-Fried's Alameda
Nelson Wang / CoinDesk: Sam Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research Secretly Funded Crypto Media Site The Block and Its CEO
TechCrunch: The Block founder says he's exploring ways to get the publication into ‘trustworthy’ hands
Lele Jima / The Crypto Basic: Cardano Founder Reacts As SBF Secret Funding To ‘The Block’ News Outlet Comes To Light
Jamie Redman / Bitcoin News: Report Shows Crypto News Publication The Block Was Secretly Funded by Bankman-Fried's Alameda
Andrew Throuvalas / Crypto Adventure: ‘The Block’ CEO Steps Down Following Revelations of Secret SBF Funding
Travis Clark / Insider: Sam Bankman-Fried secretly invested in crypto news site The Block by funneling money to its CEO: report
Mitchell Clark / The Verge: Sam Bankman-Fried secretly handed $27 million to a major crypto news site and its CEO
Yana Khlebnikova / crypto.news: The Block CEO steps down after failing to disclose publication was funded by SBF
Web3 is going just great: CEO of crypto media outlet The Block resigns after it's revealed he took tens of millions in loans from Sam Bankman-Fried
Tweets:
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: 1/2🚨Exclusive: Crypto news site @TheBlock__ has been secretly funded for over a year w money funneled to its CEO LLCs from #SBF's @AlamedaResearch —3 loans total: —$12M & $15M loans went to The Block —$16M used by CEO to buy real estate in Bahamas https://www.axios.com/... @axios
Mike McCaffrey / @mccaffrmike: 1/ I have difficult news to share. I'm stepping down as The Block's CEO. While it's personally painful, it's the right thing for The Block and the team.
Frank Chaparro / @fintechfrank: 1) I'm absolutely gutted by this news, which was briefed to the company this afternoon. Underpinning my shock are feelings of utter disgust and betrayal by Mike's actions, greed, lack of disclosure. He's literal scum. He kept every single one of us in the dark. https://twitter.com/...
@autismcapital: A confirmed FTX insider provides more color on the relationship between FTX and The Block: https://twitter.com/...
@tier10k: [DB] The Block Has Been Secretly Funded for Over a Year With Money Funneled to the Block's CEO From SBF, Sources Told Axios.
@punk6529: enjoy this time. it is special. you will remember with nostalgia in a few years. (even the dumb stuff)
@tier10k: [DB] The Block: CEO Michael McCaffrey Resigned After Failing to Disclose a Series of Loans From SBF's Alameda Research. He Was the Only Person With Knowledge of the Funding at the Company.
Mike McCaffrey / @mccaffrmike: 2/ In early 2021, The Block was in a precarious place, and I was evaluating whether to sell, merge or restructure. The only option that materialized was to restructure when I was able to obtain a $12 million loan for my holding company from SBF in Feb of 2021.
@zhusu: Larry has “lots of funds stuck on FTX,” tweets about actively trading on news and exch listings, while having zero disclosures on those. Steven has “angel investor” in his profile while having zero disclosures on those. Frank's podcast was literally sponsored by FTX.
Mike McCaffrey / @mccaffrmike: 4/ I didn't disclose the loan to anyone. Absolutely no one at The Block knew about the financial arrangement between my holding company and SBF, including the editorial and the research teams.
Alex Mashinsky / @mashinsky: As long suspected, major Crypto media was publishing false and misleading stories about Celsius and almost never covered any positive news Now we know why SBF/FTX saw Celsius as a critical competitor and wanted all these users for himself at all costs https://www.axios.com/...
@lawmaster: @ercwl I think the cherry on top is that I accidentally leaked my boss's secret loans from Alameda on Tuesday unknowingly. It's in this sheet https://twitter.com/...
Mike McCaffrey / @mccaffrmike: 7/ I apologize to my teammates at The Block. I am truly sorry for the lack of judgment. I have full confidence in the team to continue what they do best - delivering clear-eyed research and news in a space that now needs it more than ever.
Danny Nelson / @realdannynelson: Mike McCaffrey had a secret penthouse in the Bahamas but he was too cheap to buy his own $30 drink. I hope you enjoyed that Macallan, buddy. I didn't appreciate the bill.
Nathaniel Whittemore / @nlw: Easy bro. Make it right by distributing your shares amongst employees and investors who didn't know about your fraud. Do the right thing and see what your team built thrive... or slink off with equity worth nothing anyway. Seems simple. https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Davies / @kyleldavies: Dudas and Co, crack me up. Self proclaimed guardians of something, suckled the bosom of SBF, promote scams full time, flailing to find a new narrative to cling to. Sheep in need of a new shepherd
Dan Held / @danheld: Holy shit. Just when I thought the FTX drama had ended. https://twitter.com/...
Larry Cermak / @lawmaster: Last few months really can't get much worse. Got fucked by FTX (after naively trusting them like a complete idiot) and now also got fucked by the CEO. Just like everyone else at The Block, I just found out about this. https://twitter.com/...
@twobitidiot: I've tried to operate ethically in this space for a decade but I'm starting to just feel guilt by association at this point. Disgusted and signing off.
@coinmamba: I always wondered why Block was making so many stories about Solana projects. Every day there was a story how some Solana project has raised couple millions.. https://twitter.com/...
@econoar: I don't think there was a conspiracy among Block employees to promote SBF due to the CEO loans. They likely had no idea. However, it was genuinely frustrating watching most all crypto media worship SBF and his projects without any criticism until the very end of the collapse.
@btcgandalf: 1/ Where SBF spent FTX customer's funds: - Making Binance/CZ richer by buying out their stake in FTX. - Purchasing real estate for himself, his parents, and Alameda employees. - Bankrolling The Block including loaning the CEO money to purchase Bahamian real estate.
@cobie: @mdudas ... So what actually happened? Mike (the other guy) was taking loans from SBF and putting the $ into The Block in exchange for favourable press?
@iamdcinvestor: ok, i'll bite, who in the actual fuck is Mike McCaffrey? never heard of the slime bag before today second question: did he get unsecured loans from SBF/FTX/Alameda, or did he use his equity in The Block as collateral for the loans (or some other collateral)?
@cokiehasiotis: I trusted my gut and left @TheBlock__ in 2021. Based on my time as Mike McCaffrey's Chief of Staff, I knew it was only a matter of time before he did irreparable damage to the company & its reputation because he is not a man of integrity https://twitter.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: i have informed the new ceo of the block bobby moran that i would like to speak with him imminently there is a large group of honest people with capital, connections and a deep interest in honest crypto research & journalism who would like to ensure the block's continued success
Mike Novogratz / @novogratz: Can we all move on from @SBF_FTX , @Mashinsky , @TheBlock__ , @zhusu and all the other scammers who have brought shame onto our industry. Delete them. Block them. Let the authorities deal with them. And let's move on the best we can to restore credibility to crypto.
Shas / @xbt002: 1) I joined The Block in September as a long-standing critic of SBF, and the obvious cross-cubicle relationship between FTX and Alameda. I obviously had no knowledge of this, and it disgusts me. https://twitter.com/...
Ian Kar / @iankar_: Have said this before but reallyyyy think people should look into SBF having a stake in NYTimes, esp after the news around The Block. The NYTimes is publicly traded so SBF could have bought into it way more easily. And he's bought his way into other public co's, like Robinhood.
@zhusu: Some unironic CT views I've seen: 1) ftx fraud doesn't matter, do another token and all is forgiven 2) doesn't matter if ftx orchestrated attack on luna/ust, would've failed anyway 3) CEO of The Block was bribed by SBF, doesn't mean any of the reporting was biased
Casey Johnston / @caseyjohnston: im no rocket scientist but it seems like we should strive for a fourth estate where every tech outlet doesn't dive headfirst into the pockets of every new millionaire https://www.axios.com/...
@cobie: @AutismCapital I mean I get a good witch hunt n stuff but is this saying that Frank was favourable to FTX in 2020 because his boss would accept secret funding and a penthouse from Sam in 2021?
@lawmaster: @Lord_Ashdrake @AutismCapital Yea whoever that is is totally right I stood up for FTX when I said I thought near 0% chance that they are in trouble. Luckily I also advised everyone to take out money anyways. Obviously, in retrospect, I regret tweeting that but haven't deleted.
Vance Spencer / @pythianism: in every case, it is important to not confuse the wrongdoing of a CEO with the wrongdoing of an entire company
Frank Chaparro / @fintechfrank: Based on new information that's come to light I plan to speak with my colleagues about ensuring that Mike McCaffrey no longer controls a majority stake in the company or leaving
@sassal0x: Just woke up to the news My heart goes out to the good people at The Block - they didn't deserve this and I'm confident they'll bounce back from it.
@zhusu: The idea that the CEO of the Block has been bribed massively, that the company has been de facto wholly owned by SBF for years now, yet the underlying reporting was solid, is mindboggling. SBF was solo source for many of their “scoops.” He ran the entire editorial direction.
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: .@lawmaster and @fintechfrank are two of the best in the world at their crafts. They tolerated defamation crypto billionaire bullies and their armies slung their way with little financial reward always amazed me. You put a mark on their names, you're my blood enemy forever.
@tier10k: Eventful day huh Condolences to all at The Block employees for being informed of this on a Friday btw if you see DB News LLC on the Bahamian land registry, my identity got exposed in the Equifax data breach Have a good weekend 🤝
Nathaniel Whittemore / @nlw: The next time he gives the “aw shucks I goofed” routine, ask yourself what kind of person would be secretly funneling money for positive coverage for more than a year. That. Shows. Intent. Despicable. https://twitter.com/...
@defiyst: According to SBF, the prime Bahamian real estate was reserved for FTX employees only. This doesn't seem to be the case https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Frank Chaparro / @fintechfrank: 2) I put my trust in him to run The Block as an independent media entity as CEO and majority shareholder — and was misled. This is really painful because I've put many years into shaping The Block into what it is today. I also thought of him as a friend.
Frank Chaparro / @fintechfrank: 4) My track record as an independent reporter in the crypto space over the last five years speaks for itself. That's evident as recently as my no holds barred interview with Sam Bankman-Fried just last week.
@lawmaster: I am proud of the 30+ person research team I built and will keep going with the new The Block leadership. It all really fucking sucks and I'm completely exhausted. Will be doing what truly matters and that's less Twitter and more time with my 4 month old daughter and my wife.
@lawmaster: Needless to say I didn't benefit from Mike's personal loans in any way. In fact, I lost roughly the same amount on FTX as I made from The Block's compensation and bonuses since joining 4 years ago. I never borrowed money from anyone either.
@hsakatrades: We were so busy shitting on Trad media, we forgot to look in our own backyard. Among all the bodies washing ashore post FTX era, this is among the most putrid. Will take a while to reestablish credibility. The goblin priced The Block at ~2x of Kevin O'Leary
Frank Chaparro / @fintechfrank: 3) Had I known about this, I would have not only called it out and disputed his actions, but called for an immediate change in leadership. Putting aside the FTX meltdown, there is no excuse for his deception and disregard for the 160 people who work at The Block.
@axios: The Block, a media company that says it covers crypto news independently, has been secretly funded for over a year with money funneled to the CEO from Sam Bankman-Fried's cryptocurrency trading firm. https://www.axios.com/...
Frank Chaparro / @fintechfrank: We wrote our first story on SBF in 2019 - Our events team has co-hosted events with a number of firms inc Genesis and Fidelity - I have interviewed as many FTX execs as Coinbase execs on my podcast https://twitter.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: Horrifying. Devastated beyond belief. I was given less than an hour's heads up by the CEO of @TheBlock__. If you think you're shocked, I'm literally lost right now. https://t.co/J0MH1wDrfz
@tier10k: One $16m batch of funding from Alameda was used in part to purchase of an apartment in the Bahamas for Block CEO Michael McCaffrey McCaffrey has resigned as CEO and is leaving the company The newsroom was informed in an all-hands meeting early Friday afternoon. 1) What https://twitter.com/...
Mike McCaffrey / @mccaffrmike: 6/ I never attempted to influence coverage of FTX, Alameda or SBF. Nevertheless, my decisions undermine the credibility of The Block - and the talented people who work non-stop to cover this complicated and evolving industry.
Mike McCaffrey / @mccaffrmike: 5/ My rationale - undoubtedly poor judgment in hindsight - was that knowledge of the loan might be seen to compromise the objectivity of their coverage of SBF and his related entities.
Jeff Roberts / @jeffjohnroberts: Block statement addresses editorial concerns of SBF scandal but not financial ones. So: Did CEO pledge any of Block's assets as collateral? What were terms of the loans? Is Block in financial jeopardy if receiver overseeing FTX bankruptcy calls in the loans?
@swagtimus: Every day I think to myself the crypto industry can't possibly become more of a clown show, and every day I get proven wrong. Note: I have respect & empathy for the employees, this is directed at their former CEO. https://twitter.com/...
Zach Segal / @zosegal: I've been in crypto for a decade and seen many meteoric rises and falls. This looks bad. However, I still believe @lawmaster and @fintechfrank are high integrity, and this looks like an enormous betrayal of trust by their former leader. https://twitter.com/...
Charles Hoskinson / @iohk_charles: Remember all that anti-cardano coverage... https://twitter.com/...
Adam Cochran / @adamscochran: The important tagline here is “without the newsroom's knowledge” so we should want the execs out and newsroom keeping on. Some BS on the part of leadership there. https://twitter.com/...
Alexandre Lores / @alexandre_lores: Not to be confused with @TheLatestBlock! @MatiGreenspan @ger313 @_CryptoCurator https://twitter.com/...
Dan Diamond / @ddiamond: Former POLITICO revenue chief Bobby Moran stepping in as The Block's new CEO. https://medium.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Josh Constine / @joshconstine: This is nuts and underscores why editorial independence from ownership is critical. If you let someone tell you what or how to write, you can't be sure of their motives. Good to hear The Block's team didn't know, and has been fiercely critical of SBF https://www.axios.com/...
@autismcapital: Axios reports that The Block has received over $27M in funding from Sam/FTX including financing for a $16M apartment in Albany for Block CEO Michael McCaffrey. https://www.axios.com/...
Jeff Giesea / @jeffgiesea: I feel for @mdudas @fintechfrank and employees of the crypto-focused media company @TheBlock__. By all indications they were blindsided by news of their CEO's sketchy, undisclosed financial relationship with SBF. Disgraceful. https://www.axios.com/...
@robinwauters: I also know a publication with a, let's say *interesting* cap table, constant lack of disclosures and conflicts of interest 🙈🙉🙊 https://twitter.com/...
John Biggs / @johnbiggs: Amazing. I mean arguably Coindesk lives on Barry Silbert's cash as well but this is some super cheeseball stuff from McCaffrey. SBF secretly funded crypto news site https://www.axios.com/...
Tero Kuittinen / @teroterotero: I mean crypto boyz keep the drama alive https://twitter.com/...
@twobitidiot: If @mdudas really wants to try to buy back The Block, I'll support him if I can. Or pursue the business myself. The top news desks serve as critical checks on industry excess, AND entities that provide oxygen to all of the good in crypto. Good journalism is undervalued.
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: @TheBlock__ ... 2/2 The site has never disclosed any connections to SBF or Alameda —Employees had no idea, found out today —CEO resigning and stepping off Board —Company will look to restructure to buy out CEO's stake (He's currently majority shareholder) Read on @Axios: https://www.axios.com/...
Adam Cochran / @adamscochran: Wait, this included a fucking personal $16M loan for the CEO to buy Bahamas real estate? What the utter fuck. https://twitter.com/...
@tomaxwell: This is really tough for me, but today I'm coming clean I have also received $43 million from FTX, including $18 million which went towards my condo in Nassau
Jacquelyn Melinek / @jacqmelinek: Former CEO McCaffrey received 3 loans from SBF in total: - $12M in 2021 to buy out The Block - $15M loan in January to fund day-to-day operations - $16M earlier this year to buy real estate in the Bahamas https://www.theblock.co/...
Mike Novogratz / @novogratz: Do people still “believe” SBF?? Enough already!!! https://twitter.com/...
@fredbenenson: ah yes, it is the mainstream press that SBF has had under his thumb, yes yes https://twitter.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: This is a lie on numerous levels. We had multiple sources of capital available, but Mike blocked them all. I was negotiating with a terrorist. https://twitter.com/...
Luke Martin / @venturecoinist: So SBF actually owned the Block too... ‘The Block CEO received three loans. The first was $12 million and was used in 2021 to buy out other investors.’ Starting to think I'm the only one that didn't receive funding from SBF last year. https://www.theblock.co/...
@iamdcinvestor: this is...not great i hope and expect that @TheBlock__ @fintechfrank will be as forthcoming about this situation as possible, and will established enhanced governance and processes to ensure such a potential conflict of interest does not arise again https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Roberts / @jeffjohnroberts: The Block is latest to be covered with SBF slime. They will be fine. Block has a strong bench with Frank, Larry et al and I hear it's adding media grown-ups to its board. This will pass The lesson (again) for crypto is stop putting faith into whiz kids and hype. https://twitter.com/...
Lyn Alden / @lynaldencontact: Another week, another revelation for how deep SBF's monetary tentacles extended throughout the industry. https://twitter.com/...
@coffeebreak_yt: My heart goes out to the journalists at the Block who reportedly didn't know. that's going to be a stain on the company that's hard to erase. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: one thing about the unfortunate block news today every scammer: “look, the entire enterprise was compromised from day one, i'm totally vindicated even though civil and criminal courts will rek me soon” normals: “this is really sad, that unethical ceo f*cked the honorable team” https://twitter.com/...
Michael Saylor / @saylor: Sam used stolen & counterfeit money to corrupt the establishment & undermine #bitcoin. This is just the tip of the iceberg. How many other journalists, academics, money managers, politicians, charities, influencers, & lobbyists did he corrupt or co-opt? https://www.axios.com/...
@hsakatrades: The goblin bought every entity that could serve as its mouthpiece. There was always a distinct difference in the tone between pieces covering SBF/FTX/Alameda and other exchanges. Always been hyper cynical, but do extend the benefit of doubt to the employees being in the dark. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Dudas / @mdudas: This is false. Get ready from more of this from “citizen journalists”. This is why @McCaffrMike's betrayal is so devastating. https://twitter.com/...
Colin Wilhelm / @colinwilhelm: Some news about our company that the newsroom learned this afternoon. We have provided, and will continue to provide, independent coverage. https://www.theblock.co/...
Maya Parody / @mayazi: List of media outlets SBF invested in to drive his image while he was “distracted” (that we know of): - the Block - Semaphore - Axios But it's just crypto ppl who think the entire coverage of FTX was biased https://www.reuters.com/...
Ben Armstrong / @bitboy_crypto: You can't understate how important this is. I've been telling you Alameda had an entire propaganda arm that disseminated misinformation at will regarding projects, individuals, & exchanges. Time to pull the thread and see how deep it goes. https://twitter.com/...
Adam Cochran / @adamscochran: Honestly anyone questioning Frank or Larry here is a dumbass. When I started raising issues about FTX, Frank was one of the only people to take it seriously & investigate and he worked his ass off fielding leads while other outlets wrote fluff pieces. https://twitter.com/...
Rat King / @mikeisaac: this is nuts. feel bad for the editorial staff who didnt know how much the (now former) ceo was totally screwing them https://www.axios.com/...
Hudson Jameson / @hudsonjameson: I 100% trust that @fintechfrank, @lawmaster, and the rest of the journalists and researchers at The Block were in the dark about this awful leadership decision. Some people are not going to believe them, but if you do believe them consider publicly or privately expressing that. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Emerson / @sarahnemerson: “The payments, which employees of The Block were previously unaware of...” https://www.axios.com/...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: The Block, a media company that says it covers crypto news independently, has been secretly funded for over a year with money funneled to The Block's CEO from the disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried's cryptocurrency trading firm https://www.axios.com/...
Ryan Weeks / @ryanjamesweeks: Depressing, baffling news. What angers me most is that we are now forced to defend our work - which I've been particularly proud of this year - because of the actions of one person. Bitterly disappointing. https://twitter.com/...
Alexander Grieve / @alexandergrieve: His tentacles are everywhere. IMO all the proof needed that @TheBlock__ employees didn't know / weren't coerced into favorable FTX reporting is the grilling of SBF last week by @fintechfrank 🫡 Great people there, who don't deserve this. (I feel like this is a recurring theme) https://twitter.com/...
Dominik Schiener / @domschiener: This is why Crypto can be so frustrating. You don't know who pays who, and what their (hidden) incentives are. Some people are only interested in protecting and pumping their own bags. They're not here to decentralize, they are here purely for selfish gains. Good riddance. https://twitter.com/...
| Bloomberg: |
Source: the US DOJ is preparing a possible fraud case against Sam Bankman-Fried and others, examining cash flows to the Bahamas around FTX's bankruptcy filing — US prosecutors, laying the groundwork for a potential fraud case against Sam Bankman-Fried and others involved in the collapse … More:
Yogita Khatri / The Block: U.S. prosecutors probing FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in potential fraud case: Bloomberg
Rohan Goswami / CNBC: Bahamas attorneys file emergency motion in FTX case for access to databases with client information
Tweets:
@sbf_ftx: @cz_binance You won, @cz_binance. There's no need to lie, now, about the buyout. We initiated conversations around buying you out, and we decided to do it because it was important for our business. And while I was frustrated with your ‘negotiation’ tactics, I chose to still do it.
@sbf_ftx: @cz_binance You threatened to walk at the last minute if we didn't kick in an extra ~$75m. We did it anyway because this just made us feel more confident we didn't want Binance on our cap table. But again, none of this is necessary. You won. Why are you lying about this now?
Matthew Liu / @matthewliu: The irony of this sociopath calling out others for “lying” is unreal. https://twitter.com/...
@hype_eth: Is he saying this is all CZ's fault because CZ played hardball during a multibillion dollar deal between two multibillion dollar exchanges? I guess when your ego gets too inflated you can't understand that people would negotiate with you instead of doing what you say! https://twitter.com/...
Laurence / @functi0nzer0: It's astounding that he remembers every detail of a deal from a year and a half ago but is basically Charlie Gordon when it comes to anything regarding operations of his own exchange that are barely a month old https://twitter.com/...
@vikingxbt: It's not a fucking game you fucking retard. Peoples money is on the line, and you're still going “you won”. Fuck of you fucking retard. https://twitter.com/...
Benjamin Cowen / @intocryptoverse: Watching these debates unfold publicly on twitter makes crypto look like a joke. Let's hope that 2023 sorts out all the nonsense so that the asset class can move on stronger than before. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Balchunas / @ericbalchunas: I would assume this means an end to SBF's “I'm so sorry, now let's find out who did this so I can make it right' media tour, but who knows w him. https://twitter.com/...
@cz_binance: @SBF_FTX Sam, not that it matters now. You also can't force us to sell if we don't want to. Also, we have the veto right to block any further fundraising you were doing. Never used or mentioned it. It was never a competition or fight. No one won. 1/2
@sbf_ftx: @cz_binance Among other things, as you know, you didn't even have the rights to pull out as an investor unless we chose to buy you out—much of the tokens/equity were still locked.
@tree_of_alpha: When you spend thousands of games stuck in League of Legends's bronze ranking, You don't see stealing $10b in user funds as “ruining millions of people's lives”, You see it as “losing”. https://twitter.com/...
Adam Cochran / @adamscochran: This is some cringe bs. Like shut the hell up Sam. This wasn't a game. You didn't lose. You stole user assets, lost $10B+ of consumer assets and ruined the lives of thousands of people. The fact you still see this as some game you lost shows your utter lack of remorse. https://twitter.com/...
Tren Griffin / @trengriffin: Any use of a wire (phone, fax, internet) involving transiting the US = US jurisdiction for wire fraud charges. “Prosecutors are closely examining whether hundreds of millions of dollars were wrongfully transferred to the Bahamas at the time of FTX's Nov. 11 bankruptcy filing” https://twitter.com/...
| Matthew Goldstein / New York Times: |
SBF agrees to testify before a House committee on December 13 but remains quiet about a request from a Senate committee, which could issue a subpoena — The FTX founder said on Twitter he would appear before a House committee next week, but was quiet about a similar request from a Senate committee.
Tweets: @sbf_ftx, @sbf_ftx, @gabby_hoffman, @richsignorelli, @claritytoast, @jgreco, and @lumberlaw
More:
Wall Street Journal: Sam Bankman-Fried Says He'll Testify to House Committee About FTX Collapse After All
Makena Kelly / The Verge: Sam Bankman-Fried agrees to testify before House Committee on FTX collapse next week
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica: Disgraced FTX founder to testify at House hearing on crypto exchange crash
Yaro Celis / Yaro on Web3 and its Global Impact: 🆓 SBF may not be subpoenaed. — 🗞️ “The Block” failed to disclose “Loans” from SBF
Jenn Gidman / Newser: Sam Bankman-Fried: OK, I'll Talk to Congress
Leo Schwartz / Fortune: Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before Congress. Will a subpoena come next?
Tweets:
@sbf_ftx: 1) I still do not have access to much of my data — professional or personal. So there is a limit to what I will be able to say, and I won't be as helpful as I'd like. But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th. https://twitter.com/...
@sbf_ftx: 2) I will try to be helpful during the hearing, and to shed what light I can on: —FTX US's solvency and American customers —Pathways that could return value to users internationally —What I think led to the crash —My own failings
Gabriella Hoffman / @gabby_hoffman: If I, as a freelancer, perpetrated the fraud scheme this guy did I'd already be arraigned, jailed, and awaiting trial. This guy pleading ignorance when he was directly involved in his business dealings is pure gaslighting. But he's a Democrat, so he'll treated with kid gloves https://twitter.com/...
Richard Signorelli / @richsignorelli: He could easily be arrested after his testimony. DOJ does not have complete its investigation before effectuating an arrest. Garland forgot this principle w/ Trump who will delay a case by any means possible & who has not even been arrested yet. https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Nate Anderson / @claritytoast: Noticeably absent from this list is FTX international, where SBF commingled, stole, then gambled away all the funds. Seems his plan is to claim ignorance to any subject matter area that could be remotely legally dangerous to him. https://twitter.com/...
Jim Greco / @jgreco: One of the greatest lies Sam has told throughout this is FTX US's solvency. Nothing in the bankruptcy docs support this assertion. In fact, quite the opposite. https://twitter.com/...
@lumberlaw: You see, it's the “My own failings” part that's both deceptive in its premise & will get you in trouble. You literally just hired counsel, who's role is to insulate you. Appearing absent a subpoena & previewing your testimony is unwise, but that's been your approach so far, so 🤷♂️ https://twitter.com/...
| Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg: |
More:
Victor Alexander / Inside Bitcoins: SBF Refutes He Tried to Attack Tether and “Hunted” Terra Positions of Three Arrows
Tweets:
@cz_binance: It seems $15m not only changed @kevinolearytv's mind about crypto, it also made him align with a fraudster. Is he seriously defending SBF? https://www.youtube.com/... (baseless attacks start around 4:20). A thread. 1/11
@sbf_ftx: I made a lot of big mistakes this year. But this wasn't one of them. There's no evidence, because it didn't happen. Please, please, focus on your own house. https://twitter.com/...
@zhusu: Had a call yesterday w someone who asked “how come you and Do Kwon came back right after FTX went down, is it just to deflect from your own issues?” I replied Do Kwon has been building on Luna classic + luna2 literally continuously and hasn't taken more than a week Twitter break
@sbf_ftx: 3) I had thought of myself as a model CEO, who wouldn't become lazy or disconnected. Which made it that much more destructive when I did. I'm sorry. Hopefully people can learn from the difference between who I was and who I could have been.
Bruce Fenton / @brucefenton: Now we will see what $70 million in political donations of stolen funds buys: a huge media platform rolled out by the very politicians he donated stolen funds to. They won't ask about the stolen money or the fraud— this will be yet another media show to benefit SBF. Crime pays. https://twitter.com/...
@bigcheds: The golly gee sheepish act is so offensive - “But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th.” Pretending like he was the janitor or something and is surprised anyone would want to talk to him. https://twitter.com/...
@lawmaster: @tier10k The DC tweet LOL “My honest advice: stop doing everything,” Mr. Zhao said. “Put on a suit, and go back to DC, and start to answer questions.”
Zhu Su / @zhusu: How would you know? Thought you claimed you arent aware of what happens at Alameda? Its OK we can let DoJ decide https://twitter.com/...
@hsakatrades: @tier10k “My honest advice: stop doing everything,” Mr. Zhao said. “Put on a suit, and go back to DC, and start to answer questions.” The tweet that started it all. https://twitter.com/...
Anna Irrera / @annairrera: The downfall of crypto maven Sam Bankman-Fried is prompting a re-examination of the implosion of the Terra stablecoin ecosystem that erased $40 billion in market value https://www.bloomberg.com/... via @business
Emily Nicolle / @emilyjnicolle: these are the trades that made UST and Luna collapse in May. after FTX's bankruptcy, people are again asking the question: who was behind them? https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@fullbeerbottle: Sam out here like “I made a lot of big mistakes this year. 1. The shoelace thing. Sorry about that 2. I didn't fix the browser issues quickly enough 3. Accidentally ate 3000 shrimp, sorry. 4. Some other minor stuff.” https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Kang / @rewkang: Many ex FTX/Alameda employees have mentioned that FTX employees would inappropriately snoop into large accounts and check their positions We were being counter-traded by both Alameda and FTX employees Lying about it = more prison time https://twitter.com/...
@cryptocred: @HsakaTrades @CryptoDonAlt Schrödinger's Alameda Research - SBF Edition I know no details about the activities of Alameda Research except the details that preclude any illegal activities at Alameda Research
@cz_binance: 5/ Unlike @kevinolearytv we continue to do due diligence even after we make an investment. As an early investor in FTX, we became increasingly uncomfortable with Alameda/SBF and initiated the exit process more than 1.5 years ago.
@hsakatrades: @CryptoDonAlt Agreed. Should have lead their public reemergence with some acknowledgement of their wrongdoing and showing a shred of remorse (however fake). Then lead into talking about all the shit Alameda/FTX allegedly pulled. Failing to do the former just undermines the latter.
DonAlt / @cryptodonalt: @HsakaTrades Honestly think Su and Kyle had a way to redeem themselves but this absolute garbage really isn't it Take responsibility and show humility instead of crying “it was the exchanges fault” like every 10yo trading on 100x leverage
| Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch: |
Despite Elon Musk's opaque approach, the “Twitter Files” give a peek at moderation at scale and are a win for transparency, while failing to prove systemic bias — Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, is feverishly promoting his “Twitter Files”: selected internal communications from the company … More:
Tweets:
Jeff Bercovici / @jeffbercovici: You know what, I don't think the Twitter Files are a total nothingburger. You should be able to see what kinds of controls they put on your account just like Google shows you your ad targeting categories. Keeping that hidden from users is no fair.
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: I'm sure everyone who is claiming that it is against the law (or treason!) for a media organization to support one candidate over another (of which the Twitter files still have shown no evidence...) feels the same away about Fox News? Or nah?
Rat King / @mikeisaac: there is an actual discussion to be had about how accounts and content are labeled and handled — it's the stuff of all social networks and transparency only comes in fits and starts over the years (usually after prodding) hard to have that convo when everything is a conspiracy https://twitter.com/...
| Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: |
Twitter Trust and Safety VP Ella Irwin says she took the screenshots of internal systems that Bari Weiss shared and that “reporters were not accessing user DMs” — Elon Musk is giving outside writers unprecedented access to internal Twitter Inc. information …
Tweets: @bariweiss, @ellagirwin, @annecollier, @justinbaragona, @abgutman, @bariweiss, @daveyalba, @unusual_whales, @spdustin, @jeremylittau, @alexstamos, @mattbinder, @scottjshapiro, @gallagherfergal, @elonmusk, @esqueer_, @jeffbercovici, @orinkerr, @willoremus, @emptywheel, @ted_scheinman, @thetomzone, @jamessurowiecki, @the_nerd_skull, @donmoyn, @donmoyn, @nickmartin, @charlesarthur, @jeremylittau, @scottjshapiro, @pwnallthethings, @stevanzetti, @sarahfrier, @dancow, @daveyalba, @thatianelliott, @qjurecic, @parismarx, @zoeschiffer, @44, @orinkerr, @nicoleperlroth, @whiteroseafa, @karaswisher, @thetomzone, @willoremus, @saletan, @noahgarfinkel, @zaleskiluke, @nkulw, @mattbinder, @parismarx, @atrupar, @joshuaphilll, @radiofreetom, @parismarx, @anthony, @alexstamos, @adrianweckler, @tomscocca, @amuse, @carlquintanilla, @mattbinder, @juliusgoat, @mattbinder, @tupp_ed, @jtlol, @elonmusk, @ellagirwin, @elizableu, @spdustin, @jolyonmaugham, @izzykamikaze, @mattbinder, @radiofreetom, @michaelehayden, @rvawonk, @parismarx, @stevanzetti, @theserfstv, @srirachachau, @marinamedvin, @elonmusk, @robferdman, @donmoyn, @eladnehorai, @wilson__valdez, @7im, @pattymo, @themaxburns, @ariehkovler, @respectablelaw, @wilson__valdez, @emptywheel, @hannahgais, @nycsouthpaw, @golikehellmachi, @eliothiggins, @hannahgais, @ted_scheinman, @parkermolloy, @sarahposner, @jaredlholt, @edzitron, @elonmusk, @alexstamos, @alexstamos, @charliekirk11, @jason_kint, and @wongmjane
More:
Charlie Warzel / The Atlantic: Elon Musk's Twitter Files Are Bait
Sam Tabahriti / Insider: Elon Musk told ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey ‘almost no one was working on child safety’ when he took over
Blake Montgomery / Gizmodo: The Twitter Files, Part Two, Explained
Jonathan Lamont / MobileSyrup: Musk promises Twitter shadowban appeal process
Jim Stewartson / MindWar: “TwitterFiles2” Propaganda Accidentally Confirms Everything 🚨
Tweets:
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: 14. This secret group included Head of Legal, Policy, and Trust (Vijaya Gadde), the Global Head of Trust & Safety (Yoel Roth), subsequent CEOs Jack Dorsey and Parag Agrawal, and others.
Ella Irwin / @ellagirwin: @thetomzone Correct. For security purposes, the screenshots requested came from me so we could ensure no PII was exposed. We did not give this access to reporters and no, reporters were not accessing user DMs.
@annecollier: Three of us resigned from Twitter's Trust & Safety Council today: @eirliani @podesta_lesley and me. Here's why https://www.netfamilynews.org/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Justin Baragona / @justinbaragona: “Now, Weiss has been given access to Twitter's employee systems, added to its Slack, and given a company laptop, two people familiar with her presence said. The level of access to Twitter systems given to Weiss is typically given only to employees...” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Abraham Gutman / @abgutman: .@elonmusk, yes or no — do Weiss and Taibbi have access to users' DMs? It would be good to get clear explanation about this screen and yes/no answer to this straightforward question. https://twitter.com/...
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: 16. One of the accounts that rose to this level of scrutiny was @libsoftiktok—an account that was on the “Trends Blacklist” and was designated as “Do Not Take Action on User Without Consulting With SIP-PES.” https://twitter.com/...
Davey Alba / @daveyalba: Summing the reactions of ex-Twitter workers to “The Twitter Files Pt 2” Ex-employees seemingly saying three main things: 1) This has long been public; 2) The platform features called out are innocuous; 3) The new T&S head handed everything over, making this little more than PR https://twitter.com/...
@unusual_whales: BREAKING: Twitter Files released by Elon Musk, Matt Taibbi & Bari Weiss, have suggested that a secret group headed by Vijaya Gadde, the Head of Legal, Yoel Roth, the Head of Trust, CEOs Jack Dorsey & Parag, & others, made decisions secretly & without overview to moderate Twitter.
@spdustin: @44 @emptywheel eirwin4903ZWlyd21u863, repeated over and over on all the screenshots from that internal tool. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Littau / @jeremylittau: Can think of several moments when as a young reporter I thought I had a bombshell story and then it became a merely average story or not news at all after an editor poked at it with skeptical questions. Beware media folks who think they're too big-brained for editorial standards. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Feels like Weiss' thread should be enough for the FTC to open an investigation into a violation of the consent decree and perhaps get a subpoena for Twitter's internal access logs.
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: everything that Bari Weiss is currently “breaking” as part of Twitter Files 2 has been reported on and known about for two and a half years https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@scottjshapiro: BREAKING: Explosive evidence from the #GoogleFiles showing that Google runs a program called “AdSense” through which website publishers pay *money* to serve *advertisements* *targeting* the site *audience*.
Fergal Gallagher / @gallagherfergal: Good piece on how the Twitter Files are just part of Elon's general temper tantrum. Gem of a line summing up the whole problem with social media platforms 1/2 https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: @unusual_whales Controversial decisions were often made without getting Jack's approval and he was unaware of systemic bias. The inmates were running the asylum. Jack has a pure heart imo.
Alejandra Caraballo / @esqueer_: Did Elon just give Bari Weiss and Abigail Shrier access to everyone's DM's? This would be a clear violation of the Stored Communications Act by sharing with them. Not to mention, potentially handing the most transphobic “journalists” access to trans people is dangerous. https://twitter.com/...
Jeff Bercovici / @jeffbercovici: How did Bari Weiss become a member of Elon Musk's inner circle? We'll never know. https://twitter.com/...
Orin Kerr / @orinkerr: <Looks at his mentions, sees people wondering if Bari Weiss violated the Stored Communications Act by looking through private DM's with Twitter's permission but not that of sender/receivers.> Nope, no violation, see the 18 U.S.C. 2701(c)(1) exception. https://www.law.cornell.edu/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: There are some mildly interesting details in here but presenting it as some new and shocking and secret finding is either ignorant or disingenuous. There have been whole news cycles about Twitter shadowbans. I know because I've written about them multiple times over the years. https://twitter.com/...
@emptywheel: So Twitter replaced a department full of communications professionals whom journalists could call with two pundits with a grievance and flimsy grasp of basic logic?
Ted Scheinman / @ted_scheinman: “Taibbi's willingness to caper about while Musk clapped his hands, in itself, instantly recreated the very power structure that his reporting was supposedly meant to assail....” — @ToLey88: https://defector.com/... via @DefectorMedia https://twitter.com/...
Tom Mckay / @thetomzone: uh well, here's the new head of Twitter trust and safety saying she's the one taking photos of the moderation backend for Bari Weiss https://twitter.com/...
James Surowiecki / @jamessurowiecki: Bari Weiss didn't describe anything of the sort. And Taibbi explicitly said that Twitter took down material at the request of the Trump White House. https://twitter.com/...
@the_nerd_skull: And now we have word that Musk has revealed PII (Personally identifiable information) to outside actors without permission. This is the absolute biggest no-no in the entire GDPR framework.
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: If there is litigation or any federal/EU investigation, not sure how well the “well yes, we had a General Counsel who advised against this, but we fired him” defense will play https://twitter.com/...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: The people Twitter appointed to offer an outside perspective on trust and safety are basically saying that Musk's reassurances on safety can't be trusted. No doubt Musk will just label them as “woke” and move on, but this seems like a big deal. https://twitter.com/...
Nick Martin / @nickmartin: The right has pushed the narrative that tech companies were biased against conservatives, but that's always been a lie. Researchers have repeatedly found big social media platforms like Twitter favor conservatives. Twitter's own research even said so. https://www.theverge.com/...
Charles Arthur / @charlesarthur: Bhattacharya is one of the people allegedly “suppressed” in the latest round of “we discover that social media companies have internal systems and groups” brainboiling. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Littau / @jeremylittau: Consider their constant claims of “bombshell” as a necessary side effect of going it alone. They have to overhype everything to keep their paid subs, spin banal data into conspiracy. Otherwise there is no rationale to pay for paid propaganda you can get for free anywhere.
@pwnallthethings: “without overview” is a funny way to describe a group comprising the CEO and the main heads of departments. https://twitter.com/...
@stevanzetti: Ey, what's an FTC reportable security incident between friends, forget about it https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Frier / @sarahfrier: If you zoom in on the images shared by Bari Weiss yesterday, you'll see they carry a watermark that shows they were taken via the account of Ella Irwin, Twitter's head of trust and safety: https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Dan Nguyen / @dancow: Seriously, this just underscores how flawed & limited Weiss's reporting has been so far. OK let's compare Maddow & E. Klein to C. Kirk and Bongino — can you screencap their internal profiles, @jason? Do either Maddow / Klein have a “Recent Abuse Strike”? Or “SPMA”? What is SPMA? https://twitter.com/...
Davey Alba / @daveyalba: 3) The T&S head handed everything over, making this little more than PR. People pointed out last night that Bari's screenshots included new Twitter T&S head Ella Irwin's LDAP in the background, and she admitted to handing everything over in her own tweet https://twitter.com/...
@thatianelliott: This is absurd! The new head of Twitter's Trust and Safety, just out here openly admitting she's not even smart enough to cover own own ass, admitting the “journalists” on the Twitter Files lied about their access, and admitting there was no methodology. Enjoy the courts, Ella. https://twitter.com/...
Quinta Jurecic / @qjurecic: my takeaway so far is that the folks involved in this mini-episode may not fully understand a) the SCA and b) journalism https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: Here's Elon Musk promising Libs of TikTok that he'll ensure the account's posts — which explicitly target queer and trans folks with violence — won't be suppressed on the platform. https://twitter.com/...
Zoë Schiffer / @zoeschiffer: Twitter's new head of trust and safety says the company did not give reporters access to peoples' DMs. The screenshots came from her, she says: https://twitter.com/...
@44: The Twitter files continue to be a big dud, already long-public information presented as scandal. The real story here is third parties getting uncontrolled access to tooling which reveals private information of Twitter users. This is bad, and seems to be escalating. https://twitter.com/...
Orin Kerr / @orinkerr: The more important question: Is Twitter civilly liable for giving private communications to Weiss? If they disclosed private user DMs, yes, they probably are liable, under 2702 and 2707. https://twitter.com/...
Nicole Perlroth / @nicoleperlroth: I have never felt such second hand embarrassment as I do for the “Twitter Files” “journalists.” There's just no coming back from this. https://twitter.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Business translator: “Secret group” aka public company management, who are described in all regulatory filings in copious detail, whose job it is to deal with such sensitive issues and — stick with me here since it is apparently murky to some — run the company. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Mckay / @thetomzone: this couldn't possibly be new twitter head of trust and safety Ella Irwin (@ellagirwin) letting Bari Weiss rifle around in a backend tool that clearly says “Direct Messages” in the sidebar could it? 🤔 https://twitter.com/...
Will Oremus / @willoremus: “secret group” and “without overview” are very funny ways to describe a group of decision-makers at a company that included the CEO, CTO, general counsel, and head of trust and safety. https://twitter.com/...
Will Saletan / @saletan: Feels like there's 2 layers to these Musk crusades. 1. The analysis written by the Musk-approved journalist who was given the material. 2. The overstated version Musk wanted in the first place, so he just goes ahead and puts that out to the world, with the journalist as cover. https://twitter.com/...
Noah Garfinkel / @noahgarfinkel: The Twitter Files thing feels like someone reading a recipe with a suspicious angry voice for no reason. After padding the chicken dry, it says to salt AND pepper BOTH sides before dredging it in egg and flour that was NEVER SIFTED.
Luke Zaleski / @zaleskiluke: Elon Musk Brings in Cousins, Confidants, and Bari Weiss to Twitter https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Noah Kulwin / @nkulw: Elon musk trying to drive engagement on Twitter by letting attention-hungry narcissists root around in corporate history so long as they publish stuff that doesn't hurt musk and they also publish it on Twitter in the form of tedious threads https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: a secret group made decisions secretly without overview and who was on that group, folks? the CEO of the company and the head of every relevant department lol do you hear what you're saying? these are the very people who would overview these decisions https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: With the “Twitter Files,” Musk isn't so much revealing things about Twitter we didn't know, but using former journalists to rewrite Twitter's history — at least for the cult and the right-wing — in a way that serves him, his insider circle, and the right-wing media ecosystem. https://twitter.com/...
@joshuaphilll: Oh my god. Stochastic terrorist wants a larger reach and Musk is looking into it https://twitter.com/...
Tom Nichols / @radiofreetom: One thing Trump spread across the American right: The inability (or unwillingness, or indifference) to remembering anything from five minutes ago https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: Probably a good time to remind everyone that regardless of what Elon Musk, his reactionary advisors, and fake journalists want you to believe, Twitter admitted its algorithms were biased in favor of right-wing accounts just last year. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...
Anthony DeRosa / @anthony: In October last year, Twitter shared that its algorithm promotes right-leaning content more often than left — but the reasons for that remain unclear. The findings drew from an internal study on Twitter's algorithmic amplification of political content https://www.theverge.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Hopefully that button doesn't actually work for them; Twitter has put a lot of work into internal access controls. If those two have been provisioned DM access, I expect that's, at a minimum, an FTC reportable security incident.
Adrian Weckler / @adrianweckler: Hope Elon and his new execs didn't let this investigative unit rifle through user DMs. They're supposed to be private. Level of access still unclear. If DMs exposed, @DPCIreland might be interested. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Tom Scocca / @tomscocca: How did they know which DMs to request screenshots of https://twitter.com/...
@amuse: Democrats are asking Biden's FTC to investigate @elonmusk for allowing @mtaibbi and @bariweiss to access Twitter's internal systems and documents. They argue there is no ‘business purpose’ in providing access that is being used to prove malfeasance. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/ ...
Carl Quintanilla / @carlquintanilla: “.. Feels like Weiss' thread should be enough for the @FTC to open an investigation into a violation of the consent decree and perhaps get a subpoena for #Twitter's internal access logs ..” @business @alexstamos https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: what Bari Weiss is “unveiling” in her Twitter Files part 2 is also how Elon Musk said he was going to run content moderation on the platform https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@juliusgoat: Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss are like Woodwood & Bernstein, if Woodward & Bernstein never learned investigative reporting, and were hired by Nixon to break into Democratic Committee HQ, and then documented the break-in and the theft. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: lol wait this shows Libs of TikTok got special treatment from Twitter DO NOT TAKE ACTION ON USER https://twitter.com/...
@tupp_ed: Personal Data, under Article 4 of the GDPR, is a wider term than the US concept of PII. I see plenty of Personal Data being disclosed in this screenshot. I have trouble working out which Article 6 legal basis for data processing would cover it. https://twitter.com/...
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: Truth brings reconciliation
Ella Irwin / @ellagirwin: @MrAndyNgo @elonmusk Yes. Jeff works for me, which is why I can correct this info. He has been at Twitter since 2021 but working in a different role. He recently stepped into his new role as part of Twitter 2.0 and has been integral in helping us drive transparency and fairness.
@spdustin: @44 @emptywheel In other words, Ella Irwin (who took over Trust and Safety from @yoyoel) is likely the logged in account for those screenshots. https://twitter.com/...
Jo Maugham / @jolyonmaugham: It would be a brave decision to continue to use Twitter DMs to send confidential information... https://twitter.com/...
@izzykamikaze: It looks like selected right-wing churnalists are being given privileged access to all your personal data on Twitter, including your DMs. Hopefully The Mother of All Data Protection cases is pending, but anybody who isn't far right should be thinking of abandoning Twitter ASAP. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: this is a great catch. Bari Weiss' Twitter Files pics all have the same watermark on them. either she was provided a login to a specific employees account or she is physically standing over the Twitter employee told to give her this access snapping pics https://twitter.com/...
Tom Nichols / @radiofreetom: The big reveal about Twitter moderation is a classic death of expertise moment: people who didn't know about something until now assume not knowing about it meant that it was a huge secret
Michael Edison Hayden / @michaelehayden: Bari Weiss wants you to find it nefarious that Twitter did the bare minimum in limiting the reach of anti-LGBTQ+ bigot Chaya Raichik. Any responsible company would have suspended Libs of Tik Tok before it got such a big audience. https://twitter.com/...
Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D / @rvawonk: Everything Bari Weiss is tweeting about was already widely known. Furthermore, Elon Musk literally just publicly announced 5 days ago the same policy she's presenting as a secret in her 2nd tweet. https://twitter.com/...
Paris Marx / @parismarx: This account's whole purpose is to direct violence and hatred at various individuals and groups, including queer and trans folks. But Bari Weiss and Elon Musk are out here defending it and allowing it to pretend it never broke any rules. Absolutely vile. https://twitter.com/...
@stevanzetti: The Bari Weiss version of the Twitter Files basically is that a social media company has moderation tools that are not entirely public in nature and that a leadership committee talked to each other about high profile moderation decisions — but told like it's Watergate.
@theserfstv: The new Twitter files have revealed that Libs of TikTok, despite the dangers she presented to schools and hospitals, actually GOT preferential protection! https://twitter.com/...
Mr. Chau / @srirachachau: This is the opposite of a ban...what are you talking about https://twitter.com/...
@marinamedvin: BTW Twitter employees can see your DMs https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Roberto Aram Ferdman / @robferdman: The most obvious and hilarious PR campaign masquerading as investigative journalism you will ever see https://twitter.com/...
Don Moynihan / @donmoyn: Weiss is an opinion writer/activist, not an investigative journalist. Her whole MO is to look for stories that might be generally unrepresentative, but reflect her worldview, and not do any additional digging that challenges that worldview. View the scoops that follow accordingly https://twitter.com/...
Elad Nehorai / @eladnehorai: So Bari Weiss, one of the loudest anti-"cancel culture" warriors and supposed fighter of antisemitism is: 1. Destroying the lives of former Twitter employees. 2. Working with a man who has done more to spread antisemitism in the past month than anyone in America. https://twitter.com/...
@wilson__valdez: Bari Weiss, anti-cancel culture warrior, combing through people's private communications in order to find something to ‘cancel’ them with, is just too too on point. https://twitter.com/...
@7im: it's a strange world where @catturd2 is verified ($8) and twitter's head of trust and safety has no blue check at all https://twitter.com/...
Patrick Monahan / @pattymo: Seems like a fair question, in the interest of transparency or whatever the Dork Squad is pretending this is about https://twitter.com/...
Max Burns / @themaxburns: The guy who was supposedly worried about Big Tech snooping on people has given Bari Weiss access to your DMs. https://twitter.com/...
Arieh Kovler / @ariehkovler: A couple of weeks ago, Musk and his team were boasting about how Twitter under his leadership would aggressively deamplify hate speech. So this whole kerfuffle isn't about the principle of deamplification. It's just about who gets deamplified and who gets to decide.
@respectablelaw: @ellagirwin @thetomzone “The screenshots requested” is very interesting language that suggests this was likely an even bigger clown show than many suspected.
@wilson__valdez: So here's Twitter's new head of Trust and Safety saying she gave Bari the ‘screenshots requested’. So if this is accurate, it's confirmation of the obvious: that they're just cherry-picking shit for their narrative and they have no clue whether their ‘full picture’ is true. https://twitter.com/...
@emptywheel: There is literally NO WAY Weiss is doing real research w/o assessing non-right wing accounts. It's either a cherry pick or a privacy violation. https://twitter.com/...
Hannah Gais / @hannahgais: the current head of twitter trust and safety just verified that she's the source of the photos of a screen that bari weiss posted showing twitter's backend. https://twitter.com/...
@nycsouthpaw: The new head of twitter trust and safety admits to this skullduggery only after someone notices a watermark containing her id on the screens she photographed and gave to Weiss et al. https://twitter.com/...
@golikehellmachi: musk let weiss and taibbi direct several more existential asteroids at twitter on the same day musk's creditors started considering whether they should start taking bites out of tesla as collateral https://twitter.com/...
Eliot Higgins / @eliothiggins: I hope Elon and pals are working in their answers to assure EU officials journalists definitely didn't have access to private DMs https://twitter.com/...
Hannah Gais / @hannahgais: taibbi et al. can get mad about their little stunt being portrayed as PR, but no real journalist would take and then use a computer provided to them by a source as if it's a gift like this. nothing about this is ethical. https://twitter.com/...
Ted Scheinman / @ted_scheinman: so bari weiss is doing: a.) an internal witch-hunt for a private company and b.) external PR for said company no real journalist would agree to this unholy amalgamation. the basest hackery. https://twitter.com/...
Parker Molloy / @parkermolloy: How funny was it the other day when a bunch of right-wingers were like, “How DARE you suggest that Taibbi was doing PR for the richest man on earth! This is journalism!” and now Weiss is just straight up being plugged into Twitter's system. It's PR. For the richest man on Earth. https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Posner / @sarahposner: Has Musk brought on Bari to deflect attention from the fact that he's bringing actual Nazis back to the platform, using her (a purported arbiter of what is antisemitic) as a shield against that criticism https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
Jared Holt / @jaredlholt: If Bari isn't taking money from Elon already she might as well just do it since that seems to be the only tangible thing separating her from other Twitter employees in this charade. If you're gonna be a billionaire's minion might as well get in on the take https://twitter.com/...
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: @MarinaMedvin DMs should be encrypted, so that it is impossible for anyone at Twitter to see the public's DMs, just as is the case with Signal or iMessage
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Prof. Kerr confirms my hunch that Twitter would face liability under the SCA if they do give anybody access to DMs or release them publicly: https://twitter.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: The new head of T&S denies that Weiss and team have access to DMs, which has to be squared with claims that their access was extensive and unfiltered. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Charlie Kirk / @charliekirk11: I'm happy Elon Musk and Bari Weiss have confirmed my account was targeted, but every Twitter user deserves to know if they too were targeted in some way. Twitter should publicly release ALL information on shadowbans, no matter how large or small the target was. Let the truth out.
| Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: |
Ireland's privacy watchdog says it is engaging with Twitter about giving data access to outsiders, amid concerns that Twitter could be in violation of GDPR — Elon Musk's desire to stir conspiratorial shit up by giving select outsiders aligned with his conservative agenda access to Twitter systems … Tweets:
Julio Alejandro / @julioalexo: @TechCrunch @riptari Nobody cares about Ireland's privacy watchdog has to say. I'm Mexican. How is this even news?
@riptari: @julioalexo @TechCrunch Because Ireland in this context speaks for the EU as a whole as its Twitter's lead DPA under the bloc's GDPR - breaches of which can lead to corrective measures being ordered including penalties of up to 4% of global annual turnover
| Julia Shapero / The Hill: |
Tweets: @bariweiss, @bariweiss, @elonmusk, @ashleyfeinberg, @robferdman, @bariweiss, @whstancil, @alexstamos, @mmasnick, @abigailshrier, @tedlieu, @darrenjbeattie, @jonttrubek, @repmtg, @sethabramson, @scottadamssays, @espiers, @mehdirhasan, @davidsacks, @brianklaas, @janusrose, @heminator, @hawleymo, @jeffreyasachs, @bradmossesq, @mattwalshblog, @hodgetwins, @theplumlinegs, @elonmusk, @dbongino, @elonmusk, @mehdirhasan, @jason, @eliothiggins, @jason, @tedlieu, @junlper, @kylenabecker, @cernovich, @maxkennerly, @kimdotcom, @repmtg, @mrandyngo, @mattyglesias, @radleybalko, @billym2k, @libsoftiktok, @nickmartin, @jamesmelville, @karengeier, @timcast, @mattbinder, @edburmila, @mmasnick, @ericfrohnhoefer, @mattbinder, @bborrman, @mattbinder, @goldman, @ashleyfeinberg, @goldman, @david_j_roth, @mmasnick, @mattbinder, @kt_so_it_goes, @tomscocca, @normcharlatan, @jeremylittau, @karaswisher, and @karaswisher
More:
Shirin Ghaffary / Vox: What the Twitter files don't tell us
Max Read / Read Max: Trying to understand “The Twitter Files”
Alex Gatewood / KnowTechie: New report claims Twitter has secret blacklists
Tweets:
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: 1. A new #TwitterFiles investigation reveals that teams of Twitter employees build blacklists, prevent disfavored tweets from trending, and actively limit the visibility of entire accounts or even trending topics—all in secret, without informing users.
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: @DavidSacks As @bariweiss clearly describes, the rules were enforced against the right, but not against the left
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: this has literally been on twitter's help page since at least 2018 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Roberto Aram Ferdman / @robferdman: The Twitter Files are one of the best examples out there of why editors are so important in journalism
Bari Weiss / @bariweiss: 28. The authors have broad and expanding access to Twitter's files. The only condition we agreed to was that the material would first be published on Twitter.
Will Stancil / @whstancil: Bari Weiss is literally in the middle of a breathless “Twitter Files” thread describing Twitter implementing the exact policy that Elon Musk said he was going to institute three weeks ago. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Stamos / @alexstamos: Well, I finally got a response to my proposal that Musk address his concern for political interference by publishing a database of moderation actions and communications with government actors. I just literally don't know what it means. Proposal: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: So we've now had two long threads, presented as if they were revealing some big conspiracy, that basically, just... confirmed a bunch of things the company had already said publicly, and showed pretty standard (boring) trust & safety work. What a world.
Abigail Shrier / @abigailshrier: Our team was given extensive, unfiltered access to Twitter's internal communication and systems. One of the things we wanted to know was whether Twitter systemically suppressed political speech. Here's what we found: https://twitter.com/...
Ted Lieu / @tedlieu: Dear @RepMTG: Have you read the First Amendment? It states “Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech.” The First Amendment prevents MAGA Republicans like you from making laws to regulate speech on @facebook @YouTube and @Twitter. Get it? https://twitter.com/...
Darren J. Beattie / @darrenjbeattie: Make them available to the public, no need for mediators/gatekeepers https://twitter.com/...
Jont Trubek / @jonttrubek: After Elon straightens out Twitter, hopefully he will buy Facebook too & shit can Zuck.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 / @rep …: The same communist censorship that has been exposed by Twitter files is happening on @facebook and @YouTube. It's been going on for years and there is nothing stopping it. Republicans have to end it.
Seth Abramson / @sethabramson: I was shadowbanned in September 2020 under the very Twitter policy @ElonMusk is here falsely claiming was only applied to people on the right. It was a major topic of conversation on Twitter at the time, because I made a big stink about it. Elon is *flat-out lying* here, period. https://twitter.com/...
Scott Adams / @scottadamssays: Twitter indirectly answered your questions about YouTube (Google) and Facebook. Everything is exactly the way you thought it was.
Elizabeth Spiers / @espiers: Imagine investing money into a social network and understanding this little about content moderation and how a TOS works. https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: Simple question: do you have access to Twitter's files under Elon Musk's ownership? If not, why not? https://twitter.com/...
David Sacks / @davidsacks: New narrative: they weren't shadowbanning political opponents. They were just enforcing the spam policy. https://twitter.com/...
Brian Klaas / @brianklaas: This is all so tiresome. It's an entire industry that gins up outrage, and it thrives because it's really easy to take just about anything and make it sound sinister. https://twitter.com/...
Janus Rose / @janusrose: like all reactionary “scandals” it's obvious this whole charade was designed for engagement farming - no sensible journalist will see any of this as “news,” but that's not the target audience. it's classic agitprop cherry-picked for musk's fanbase & network of right wing grifters https://twitter.com/...
Mark Hemingway / @heminator: This disingenuously ignores Twitter censored credible scientific voices such as @DrJBhattacharya or the fact that people got censored for questioning official COVID narratives that were factually incorrect. https://twitter.com/...
Josh Hawley / @hawleymo: Yet how many times did I hear @jack say, including to Congress, that Twitter never targeted conservatives. And how many “reporters” repeated this lie over and over and over and over https://twitter.com/...
Jeffrey Sachs / @jeffreyasachs: “Our team”? https://twitter.com/...
Bradley P. Moss / @bradmossesq: I look forward to the expose by the next owner of Twitter on how Elon cherry-picked this stuff. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Walsh / @mattwalshblog: Please give us every name and trending topic that was on the blacklist https://twitter.com/...
@hodgetwins: And I guarantee this same thing happens at Facebook, IG, YouTube, etc https://twitter.com/...
Greg Sargent / @theplumlinegs: Yeah, the level of grift here is just stunning, but the problem is that tweeting debunkings also fuels the grift. https://twitter.com/...
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: @libsoftiktok You're welcome. Twitter won't be perfect in the future, but it will be *much* better.
Dan Bongino / @dbongino: We ALWAYS knew we were a target of the Twitter suppression machine. ALWAYS. Yet liberals insisted it was another “conspiracy theory.” Tonight is vindication, yet I expect no apologies from liberals. They live to abuse power and they'll make no apologies for doing so.
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: @bariweiss @libsoftiktok Former head of censorship at Twitter was perhaps not entirely unbiased ... https://twitter.com/...
Mehdi Hasan / @mehdirhasan: This entire thread from Weiss, and supposed exposé on Twitter's ‘secret blacklists,’ is exactly what @elonmusk says his current content moderation policy for Twitter is! https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@jason: On top of all this twitter leadership claimed it wasn't happening, which is just peak gaslighting Social networks need to be transparent and fair in policing their services, letting Americans make their own decisions on who to follow or block.
Eliot Higgins / @eliothiggins: Elon is going to have so much fun explaining to EU why Twitter shouldn't be regulated after all this. https://twitter.com/...
@jason: The problem with these enforcements is threefold: 1. There was no transparency, 2 they were not evenly enforced, & 3. Shadow-banning/search banning feels underhanded (just block folks & say why). Citizens should block & mute who they want in my opinion — not the Stasi. https://twitter.com/...
Ted Lieu / @tedlieu: This post by @elonmusk assumes the right and the left are somehow the same. We are not. Folks on the right said COVID was a hoax. Folks on the left said it was not. Twitter absolutely had the right to enforce rules against COVID deniers, who were disproportionally on the right. https://twitter.com/...
@junlper: this new twitter files thread is so funny when you realize elons musk current policy is exactly what this one is complaining about https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kyle Becker / @kylenabecker: This was the Twitter CEO before @ElonMusk misleading users by telling them “we don't shadowban.” #TwitterFiles https://twitter.com/...
Max Kennerly / @maxkennerly: As expected “Twitter Files 2” is drivel. This supposedly damning evidence is from yesterday. Literally “2022-12-07,” over a month after Musk took over. Who knows what it was like before—but they currently get preferential treatment, the “SIP-PES” consult before action is taken. https://twitter.com/...
Kim Dotcom / @kimdotcom: 🧵 Twitter files Part 2 🧵 Here are my views about the recent revelations. First of all I'm glad this information is now available to the public and I'm angry because of what was done to censor and control public discourse about important issues like corruption and Govt crimes.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 / @rep …: Oversight is coming. https://twitter.com/...
@mrandyngo: Exclusive: Bari doesn't name too many names but the head of Twitter's Strategic Response Team when secret actions were taken to stifle conservative accounts happened under Jeff Carlton, who worked for both CIA & FBI. He just deleted his LinkedIn. But I have an archive. @elonmusk https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: I discovered this secret document (the publicly available terms of service) that says Twitter sometimes limits the distribution or visibility of content. https://twitter.com/...
Radley Balko / @radleybalko: The Twitter Files is a good lesson in how you can report out the goings on of any decent sized organization, and if you use the right tone, cite “documents,” and make it seem like you're breaking news, you can make even the most mundane shit seem scandalous to the right audience.
Shibetoshi Nakamoto / @billym2k: it'll be interesting when some people learn they aren't actually shadowbanned, it's just that they don't say anything worth reading
@libsoftiktok: This screenshot is current. Notice date on the right side. I'm still on a “trends blacklist.” When will this be fixed @elonmusk? https://twitter.com/...
Nick Martin / @nickmartin: The biggest takeaway from that Bari Weiss thread is that Twitter spent years finding new and creative ways to keep large conservative and right-wing accounts on the site despite some pretty egregious behavior. But that was always obvious to anyone paying attention.
James Melville / @jamesmelville: What the latest #TwitterFiles prove is that many influential accounts who questioned lockdowns were suppressed and many pro-lockdown influencers were amplified - often to vilify and orchestrate pile ons against those who were suppressed. Musk has unearthed this rather grim truth.
@karengeier: What am I supposed to be outraged at by that twitter files thing? Is it that they have a moderation policy? Is it that the examples were cherry picked and did not include anyone who was moderated for their leftist views? Is it that Bari Weiss doesn't know how to take screenshots?
Tim Pool / @timcast: this style of reporting is bad, the slow rolling of documents is bad they are drowning the potential for a big story by slow rolling it. This desensitizes people who gradually stop caring. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: wait what? November 21, 2022? you mean this happened when Elon Musk was running the platform? https://twitter.com/...
Ed Burmila / @edburmila: The replies to every tweet about Elon Musk offer valuable insight into how Jonestown happened https://twitter.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: Randomly: kudos to (former?) security folks at Twitter who apparently put in place (built?) a system so that people with access to high level, extremely powerful tools (e.g. to look at other people's DMs) have watermarks on their screens in case someone, you know, takes a photo.
@ericfrohnhoefer: “New Twitter policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.” - @elonmusk 😱 OMG Twitter was already doing that shame on them. A whole lot of nothing once again. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: we actually did learn something from Twitter Files 2: 1) Libs of TikTok received special treatment from Twitter, regular mods weren't allowed to take action on her account 2) Libs of TikTok was doxed under owner Elon Musk, the tweet was allowed to stay up https://twitter.com/...
Brandon / @bborrman: @ashleyfeinberg Why it's even the current guy's policy. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: these guys don't seem to understand that Elon Musk owns Twitter now. those former Twitter employees aren't legally responsible for this stuff. if you want to sue someone over the Twitter Files...your lawsuit would be against Twitter and Elon Musk lol https://twitter.com/...
Jason Goldman / @goldman: Literally the only thing Elon has managed to launch is a gamergate retread
Ashley Feinberg / @ashleyfeinberg: lmao “secret group”—you're telling me the company's highest-ranking people would talk to each other before making decisions that could have particularly sensitive consequences?? and they didn't inform ME about it?? https://twitter.com/...
Jason Goldman / @goldman: She's uncovered the scandal of {reduce remove inform} as the triad of content moderation that's existed since these features launched. Even Elon says there is no freedom of reach. This is just winding up a thirsty audience who will swallow sand to feel heated by conspiracy. https://twitter.com/...
David Roth / @david_j_roth: Savvy move by Musk here. Giving Bari Slack access has been proven to be one of the best ways to motivate employees to think about quitting. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: Elon: I have a great new idea: we will diminish visibility of bad stuff. “No freedom of reach.” Bari Weiss: Look at how EVIL Twitter was: they limited the reach of some nonsense purveyors. Elon fans: OMG, thank you Elon for saving us!
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: just need to point out that apparently Bari Weiss does not know how to take screenshots? she's taking photos of her computer screen lol https://twitter.com/...
@kt_so_it_goes: it's me. I'm the twitter files lady. I used to do other real weird shit until I saw taibbi & greenwald & said hey I gotta get in on that action. I'm the twitter files lady now. soon I'll be posting their sewer bill saying HMMM MAKES YOU THINK. anyway. I'm the twitter files lady. https://twitter.com/...
Tom Scocca / @tomscocca: I don't understand what L*bs of T*ktok was doing wrong, also I had to quit the New York Times because my coworkers used mean emoji, or at least it felt to me like they were using mean emoji
Norm Charlatan / @normcharlatan: Bari Weiss and Matt Taibbi are the white Diamond and Silk.
Jeremy Littau / @jeremylittau: I guess it's Galaxy Brain Variety Hour again on the bird app. The. New. Owner. Said. In. November. He. Would. Do. The. Same. Thing. You. Think. Is. A. Scandal. https://twitter.com/...
| Nick Turner / Bloomberg: |
More:
Kate Duffy / Insider: Elon Musk says ‘controversial decisions’ at Twitter were often made without Jack Dorsey's approval
Nehal Malik / iPhone in Canada Blog: Twitter to Start Telling Users If They've Been ‘Shadowbanned,’ Says Elon Musk
Evan Urquhart / Slate: The Anti-Trans Hate Account That Bari Weiss Says Is Yet Another Right-Wing Voice Censored by Twitter
Protestia / The Insurgency News Blast: THE INSURGENCY NEWS BLAST
Alex Berenson / Unreported Truths: The Twitter files: leftist censorship revealed
Clare Duffy / CNN: Elon Musk says Twitter is rolling out a new feature that will flag ‘shadowbanning.’ It's complicated
Nikki McCann Ramirez / Rolling Stone: Trump Is Using the ‘Twitter Files’ to Fundraise for 2024
Joe Rice-Jones / KnowTechie: Twitter will soon tell you if your account is shadowbanned
Tweets:
Elon Musk / @elonmusk: Twitter is working on a software update that will show your true account status, so you know clearly if you've been shadowbanned, the reason why and how to appeal
Ben Dreyfuss / @bendreyfuss: I'm sorry but this is ridiculous. This might be the definition of shadowbanning that some people use, but it is explicitly not the definition that Twitter was using in that blog post https://twitter.com/...
@esesci: so, this change removes shadowbanning. that means the offenders would cycle identities faster, reducing the effectiveness of blocks and hindering perceived site quality. it might have macro consequences. https://twitter.com/...
Mike Masnick / @mmasnick: Just highlighting that if you were, you know, paying attention to all this stuff, this was all well known. (Check the date). https://twitter.com/...
Timothy B. Lee / @binarybits: I think part of the reason @bariweiss's scoop has been so polarizing is that the right and left each had well-established definitions of the term “shadow-ban,” but they weren't the same. https://twitter.com/...
Hugh Hewitt / @hughhewitt: It is a publicly traded company whose executives testified to Congress and which made public statements and SEC filings on which investors relied. If you minimize any fraud in the filings or deception in testimony, you are encouraging every company to do the same. https://twitter.com/...
Austin Carr / @austincarr: This would be a healthy feature, depending on implementation. If Elon's mission is to make Twitter “by far the most accurate source of information about the world,” it'll be a fine line between his T&S policies and creating a SF-based Ministry of Truth https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Yglesias / @mattyglesias: To “shadow ban” is obviously not a term with a firmly established legal definition but when Old Regime Twitter officially denied shadowbanning they offered a specific, narrowly framed definition that seems consistent with New Regime Twitter's revelations. https://twitter.com/...
Austin Carr / @austincarr: Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants. @elonmusk, will you commit to making public any list of accounts you de-amplify going forward? With reasons for “strike” counts? Or if you have another system to control “free speech vs. free reach,” how will you be transparent? https://twitter.com/...
Julian Sanchez / @normative: Also it would be very weird to deny Twitter does deamplification given that they've openly said they do it for years, and it's been widely reported on in the mainstream press. Whether they do it in a biased way is another question. https://twitter.com/...
Kevin M. Kruse / @kevinmkruse: “Shadowbanning” means making a user's tweets visible only to the user themselves, and no one else. “De-amplifying” is not the same thing, no matter how much people want to move the goalposts now. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Steven Dennis / @steventdennis: Hundreds of millions of users and a couple thousand workers. Who is going to handle these appeals? https://twitter.com/...
@cwarzel: and of course none of that matters. if it's packaged and sold as a secret revelation it will be taken as an investigatory revelation. doesn't matter that musk has mentioned instituting a similar policy as far back as Nov 18th as the one mentioned in the “we don't shadow ban” post https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Hussein Kanji / @hkanji: This happened to me at Facebook three or four times so I deleted the app and switched to Twitter https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp: The second instalment of ‘the Twitter Files’ was largely more hand-wavy misrepresentation of normal moderation processes with no evidence of the ideological bias that it clearly wanted to show... but this sounds like a good feature. https://twitter.com/...
Milton Wolf / @miltonwolfmd: Why would anyone need to appeal to @Twitter to eliminate their shadow ban, @elonmusk? Especially since Twitter claimed it didn't happen in the first place. Shouldn't Twitter just eliminate all shadow bans (and inform those affected)? https://twitter.com/...
Ted Lieu / @tedlieu: Dear MAGA folks: This is Twitter asserting its right to ban you. Or not. Or to promote cute cat videos over posts by @bariweiss. Or to have “Twitter files”. Or to accelerate posts about the Browns. Or decelerate posts about kale. Twitter is a business. Get it? https://twitter.com/...
| Bloomberg: |
FTC officials seeking to block Microsoft's Activision deal are potentially more concerned about the future of cloud gaming than console-exclusive games — Microsoft Corp.'s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. has focused attention on the decades-old paradigm … Tweets:
Cecilia D'Anastasio / @cecianasta: The FTC is ringing alarm bells over Microsoft's cloud gaming dominance with Game Pass. Here's why, despite cloud gaming's nacency, there may be cause for concern. Latest with @leah_nylen: https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Sarah Miller / @sarahmillerdc: “Microsoft has already shown that it can and will withhold content from its gaming rivals...Today we seek to stop Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio and using it to harm competition in multiple dynamic and fast-growing gaming markets.” https://twitter.com/...
Cecilia D'Anastasio / @cecianasta: Cloud gaming has yet to become mainstream, but Microsoft has been betting on a console-agnostic future for a long time. Competitors like Sony still hang on tight to the console-exclusive model. Why the FTC is weighing in on the future of gaming: https://www.bloomberg.com/...
| New York Times: |
The FTC will face hurdles to block Microsoft's Activision deal, as courts are skeptical of vertical merger challenges where two companies don't compete directly — Ms. Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, has staked an ambitious trustbusting agenda on a case that may be difficult to win.
Tweets: @kellen_browning and @wsj
More:
A Software Insider's Point of View: News Analysis: FTC's Lina Khan Blocks $69 Billion Microsoft - Activision Acquisition
Jennifer Saba / Reuters: The ghost of Instagram haunts Microsoft's future
| Cheng Ting-Fang / Nikkei Asia: |
Huawei licenses key 5G tech to Oppo, amid a US crackdown, and says it has patent cross-licensing deals with 20 companies, including extended deals with Samsung — Chinese tech giant keen to make the most of its trove of intellectual property — PHOENIX, U.S. — Huawei Technologies … | Derek Gatopoulos / Associated Press: |
Lawmakers in Greece approved a legislation banning commercial spyware after the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was accused of surveillance — Lawmakers in Greece on Friday approved legislation banning commercial spyware and reforming rules for legally-sanctioned wiretaps … | Lien Hoang / Nikkei Asia: |
Vietnam says it will bar ads on content that it deems to be anti-government or otherwise “toxic”, which may affect individual YouTube and Facebook user accounts — State's blacklist may affect Facebook and YouTube users as well as TikTok stars — HO CHI MINH CITY … Tweets:
@charlesmok: Censorship anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere. Vietnam to block ads on ‘toxic’ online content in further crackdown State's blacklist may affect Facebook and YouTube users as well as TikTok stars https://asia.nikkei.com/...
Lien Hoang / @lienh: Facebook, Google had advertiser backlash before as ads aired with posts about COVID lies / conspiracy theories; in Vietnam it's an issue if ads come with content that's anti-state or mocking. VN may respond w/ blacklist of TikTok stars / other sites https://asia.nikkei.com/...
| Nick Baker / CoinDesk: |
Auditing firm Mazars says Crypto.com users' crypto assets are fully backed one-to-one, after vouching for a similar proof-of-reserves report from Binance — The examination was done by auditing firm Mazars. — Crypto.com released proof-of-reserves data from auditing firm Mazars Group … More:
CNBC: A profile of Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek, who was involved in several failed ventures before founding the exchange, including an e-commerce company
Andrew Throuvalas / CryptoPotato: After Binance, CryptoCom Reveals Proof of Reserves
Jamie Redman / Bitcoin News: Binance and Crypto.com Publish Proof-of-Reserve Audits Conducted by Global Auditor Mazars Group
Joshua Ramos / Watcher Guru: Crypto.com Releases Proof-of-Reserves
Tom Blackstone / Cointelegraph: Crypto.com releases proof of reserves, showing above 100% for BTC, ETH
Sponsor Posts
Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Try Gemini 3 Pro — Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Shopify's new AI commerce stack — Their VP of Product digs into just-launched products to help entrepreneurs and developers build with the latest AI and tech.
Zoho:
Enhancements to Zoho Writer's automation flow designer: New PDF operations, password protection, and more — Once we rolled out the automation flow designer in Zoho Writer's merge templates …
Enhancements to Zoho Writer's automation flow designer: New PDF operations, password protection, and more — Once we rolled out the automation flow designer in Zoho Writer's merge templates …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data — Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.Featured Podcasts
Big Technology Podcast:
2025 In Review, 2026 Predictions — With Reed Albergotti
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Podcast Pioneer PJ Vogt's Second Act: Less Budget, More Control
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
BG2 Pod:
AI Enterprise - Databricks & Glean
Open-source podcast on all things tech, markets, investing, and capitalism, hosted by Brad Gerstner.
Subscribe to BG2 Pod.
Great Chat:
The stories we told ourselves in 2025
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Grit:
How Brands Stay Visible When AI Decides | Profound CEO James Cadwallader
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
About This Page
This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 6:35 AM ET, December 10, 2022.
The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.
From Mediagazer
Todd Spangler / Variety:Zachary Leeman / Mediaite:
Lorcan Lovett / Nieman Reports:
Upcoming Tech Events
More News
| Foo Yun Chee / Reuters: |
| Patrick McGee / Financial Times: |
| Sheila Dang / Reuters: |
Tweets: @patrickcoffee, @campuscodi, @rmac18, @stevemullis, @esreif, @rycar, and @caseynewton
More:
Tweets:
Patrick Coffee / @patrickcoffee: “In a call on Thursday with an advertising industry group, a Twitter representative said the platform was considering bringing its content moderators, many of whom are contracted through third-party vendors, in-house”🤦♂ ️ Scoop by @Sheila_Dang https://www.reuters.com/...
Catalin Cimpanu / @campuscodi: Instead of... you know... actually removing hate speech, propaganda, and harassment https://twitter.com/...
Steve Mullis / @stevemullis: This puts all of the burdens on the brands wanting to advertise on Twitter to protect their brands. It adds an extra layer of work for the advertisers, likely increasing their costs. How is this supposed to lure advertisers back? What's the benefit? https://twitter.com/...
Eric Reif / @esreif: So the big solution to get all the advertisers back is to... pass on the work of content moderation to us. Got it. https://twitter.com/...
Earlier Picks
| Chance Miller / 9to5Mac: |
Tweets: @fosspatents and @pstasiatech
More:
Florian Mueller / FOSS Patents: Ericsson and Apple settle 5G patent dispute during Texas and ITC trials, agree on global cross-license; $400 million one-off payment plus ongoing royalties at unknown rate
Nehal Malik / iPhone in Canada Blog: Apple and Ericsson Sign Licensing Deal to Settle Patent Dispute
Alec Pronk / IPWatchdog.com: Other Barks & Bites for Friday, December 9: United States Supports Delaying Decision on TRIPS IP Waiver Extension; Pfizer Countersues Moderna over Vaccines; Ericsson and Apple Settle
Eric Slivka / MacRumors: Apple and Ericsson Reach Licensing Agreement to Settle Dispute Over Cellular Patents
Monica Alleven / Fierce Wireless: Ericsson, Apple reach multi-year patent deal
Jack Purcher / Patently Apple: In the Middle of the Trial in Texas, Ericsson and Apple announced that they've Settled their Patent Dispute over Licensing
GSMArena.com: New license deal reached by Apple and Ericsson ends a patent feud that started in 2015
Paul Lipscombe / DCD: Ericsson and Apple sign patent agreement, ending legal row
Tweets:
Florian Mueller / @fosspatents: Ericsson and #Apple settle #5G #patent dispute during Texas and #ITC trials, agree on global cross-license; $400 million one-off payment plus ongoing royalties at unknown rate https://www.fosspatents.com/ ... #FRAND #standards #patents #EasternDistrictofTexas #USITC $ERIC
Paul Triolo / @pstasiatech: Huawei licenses key 5G tech to Oppo, Samsung amid U.S. crackdown Huawei also said on Friday for the first time that it has licensed key 5G technologies to Samsung Electronics, the world's top smartphone maker, and that those deals have been extended. https://asia.nikkei.com/...
| Cecilia D'Anastasio / Bloomberg: |
Tweets:
Cecilia D'Anastasio / @cecianasta: New: Venture capital and sponsorship funds are leaking out of esports. Funding sources dwindle amid a broad economic downturn, disappointed VC and crypto meltdown—particularly as many question esports orgs' ability to turn a profit. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@sergi_m: A folk once said something around the lines of “millions will made and lost around understanding the similarities and differences between #esports and sport”. (Esports can't be a sport. Sports in themselves are not subject to IP rights). https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Jerome Joel Josy / @_erome: this could be said about a lot of industries rn but esports is particularly having to face some truths. which is the spend levels in esports blew way out of proportion to the revenue potential for yrs now. rev potential not just for orgs but also for sponsors. viewership was (..) https://twitter.com/...
| Tim Bradshaw / Financial Times: |
Tweets: @neilretail, @ivanlevingston, @iankingsky, and @tim
More:
Marina Temkin / PitchBook: Getir's acquisition of Gorillas may be the first deal in a startup consolidation wave
Tweets:
Neil Saunders / @neilretail: Put two loss making firms together and what do you get ... oh yeah, big losses! https://www.ft.com/...
Ivan Levingston / @ivanlevingston: The saga is over! Getir closed its deal for grocery app rival Gorillas in $1.2bn acquisition. Gorillas's CEO expected to leave and some of his investors may see little to no return: https://www.ft.com/...