Billionaire Elon Musk’s buy of Twitter was one of many high tales throughout the information media in 2022. The takeover has been an unmitigated catastrophe, resulting in the firing of over half its workforce, large cuts to its content material moderation groups, elevated worker exploitation, unprecedented surges in hate speech, censorship of dissidents and journalists, and technical glitches, amongst different ills. In a whirlwind of chaos, hurt, and dysfunction, a distraction was wanted.

Enter the “Twitter Recordsdata”. In November, Musk introduced that data was going to be launched relating to “free speech suppression” at Twitter earlier than his takeover. In December, a number of journalists and writers began publishing Twitter threads and articles primarily based on information they got entry to, exposing stress from governments and firms to suppress sure tales or opinions.

Whereas the revelations do level to some disturbing practices, the way in which they’ve been dealt with and launched is kind of problematic. Worse nonetheless, they serve the agenda of a “digital dictator” who has no real interest in upending the profit-driven digital colonial mannequin that permits governments and firms to arbitrarily prohibit freedom of speech on social media platforms.

Secret circumstances

Up to now, the “Twitter Recordsdata” releases predominantly help right-wing grievances about how content material moderation allegedly targets conservatives. These embrace the Hunter Biden laptop computer fiasco, “visibility filtering” (i.e. suppression) of a number of conservative voices, the de-platforming of Donald Trump, liberal and Democratic Social gathering stress over Russiagate, and the alleged “rigging” of the COVID-19 debate on Twitter.

In addition they revealed that Huge Pharma pressured Twitter to censor activists pushing to abolish mental property for COVID-19 vaccines and that the corporate’s content material moderation staff white-listed pretend Arab-language accounts pushing US pursuits within the Center East.

Whereas utilizing leaked materials in journalistic stories is normal apply, the way in which the “Twitter Recordsdata” have been dealt with is essentially flawed for a variety of causes.

First, the general public has not been given entry to the information, the way in which they have been by platforms like Wikileaks. As a substitute, Musk has stored them hidden behind closed doorways as firm property. The writers are solely capable of search the database by means of Twitter’s attorneys.

The Intercept’s Lee Fang, who was one of many folks engaged on the challenge, has made clear: “The searches have been carried out by a Twitter lawyer, so what I noticed might be restricted.”

Former Rolling Stones journalist Mark Taibbi, one of many primary writers of the challenge, has additionally defined that Twitter’s attorneys should watch out to not launch any paperwork that may get the corporate sued. Nevertheless, there isn’t any transparency behind the filtration course of. If Musk is withholding search outcomes that conflict along with his pursuits or ideology, we’ll by no means know.

Second, there have been sure circumstances for having access to the information. Musk has required that each one “Twitter Recordsdata” reporters publish their findings first on the social media community. In response to Bari Weiss, one of many writers given entry, this was Musk’s solely requirement.

However Taibbi has said that he needed to conform to “sure circumstances”, which he says he can not confide in the general public. These circumstances might be problematic.

Third, it’s also tough to not discover that almost all of the principle writers  who got entry to the information are American and maintain predominantly conservative or anti-liberal leanings.

This has been mirrored within the tales revealed thus far a lot of which have centered on points championed by the American proper.

These tales can closely skew public perceptions of Twitter’s pre-Musk content material moderation practices and seem to substantiate allegations that the “liberal institution”, Huge Tech corporations and the “liberal media” dominate society and suppress conservative voices.

But, there’s numerous proof of Twitter censorship of left-wing, Antifa, and anti-colonial voices. For instance, human rights organisations have documented how Twitter has repeatedly censored Palestinian writers and activists, together with on the behest of the Israeli authorities. “Twitter Recordsdata” writers are but to dig into these incidents, and even when they do, can we belief Staff Musk to present us the complete story?

Lastly, the challenge conveniently excludes entry to paperwork from Musk’s disastrous reign over the corporate. It will be good to know, for instance, what transpired when he censored journalists on Twitter or terminated the roles of content material moderators within the World South.

However that archive is not going to be made a part of the “Twitter Recordsdata” as a result of it doesn’t serve Musk’s private and ideological pursuits. And whereas he’s attempting to current himself as an anti-establishment, it’s not possible to see him this fashion. The world’s second-richest man is as institution as you get.

Digital capitalism and colonialism

Whereas the “Twitter Recordsdata” present for an attention-grabbing learn, the final story they reveal was already recognized. Governments, highly effective curiosity teams and firms have sought to censor and form the move of content material on social media networks for years now.

And in contrast to what Musk would have you ever imagine, he’s not a part of the answer. He’s no benevolent dictator “frightened about the way forward for civilization” and he is not going to justly uphold our “freedom of speech”.

Below his rule, Twitter’s moderation practices is not going to enhance and the overarching downside of permitting governments and firms to intervene within the platform is not going to go away. That’s as a result of the possession and enterprise mannequin of Twitter, like different huge social media platforms, are an expression of digital capitalism and colonialism.

Factually talking, huge social media is an American Empire challenge: TikTok apart, US transnational firms personal and management virtually all of the world’s high social media platforms working outdoors of Russia and mainland China.

The failure to problem US company possession of social media – as if it’s an insignificant phenomenon not value mentioning – is an expression of American supremacy.

Taibbi, Weiss, et al – as people involved with the politics of the media – have finished nothing to problem US possession and the capitalist mode of social networking. In truth, they’re very a lot a part of its beneficiaries – amassing an infinite following on Twitter, which possible has helped them entice paid subscribers on the publishing platforms they use.

One essential story that the “Twitter Recordsdata” helped distract from was the outflow of Twitter customers to the open-source social media platform Mastodon, prompted by Musk’s takeover.

Musk himself mocked Mastodon in a tweet, and he briefly blocked the promotion of other social media accounts amongst Twitter customers. In the meantime, tons of of hundreds of customers created Mastodon accounts and listed their Mastodon handles on Twitter.

Actions like these are the important thing to overthrowing the present mannequin of corporate-owned networks.

The fediverse, an open-source assortment of social networks that may discuss to one another, which Mastodon is a part of, decentralises social media and locations possession into the palms of customers and their directors, who can preserve the networks themselves. Mastodon itself doesn’t serve adverts. Its builders reject funding from non-public buyers to guard its non-profit standing.

As a functioning prototype, it proves {that a} publicly owned and managed socialist various to huge social media networks like Twitter is feasible. The “Twitter Recordsdata” divert our consideration away from these radical options already in place.

Mastodon is a step in the proper course: reworking social media right into a digital commons. Socialising the networks is essentially the most democratic, egalitarian answer – and the largest menace to Elon Musk, the US authorities, and the capitalist ruling class.

Certainly, solely system change will carry this nightmare of a media ecosystem to an in depth.

The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially replicate Al Jazeera’s editorial stance