Twitter: Suspended accounts ‘were manually reviewed’
Twitter insisted on Friday that the company “manually reviewed” all the accounts it suspended last night, from prominent reporters at the New York Times, CNN and Washington Post, and several popular liberal commentators.
Ella Irwin, Twitter’s head of trust and security, made the claim in an email to Reuters, saying the manual review was done on “any and all accounts,” which it said violated its new privacy policy in posting links to a Twitter account called ElonJet, which he was following. Elon Musk’s private jet uses public domain information.
Elon Musk. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Musk, once the world’s richest man, who bought the social media platform for $44 billion earlier this year, accused reporters of publishing “murder coordinates” by publicizing the account ElonJet, which was suspended earlier.
“Criticizing me all day is totally fine, but doxxing my location in real time and putting my family in danger is not,” Musk tweeted.
He clarified how he thought they had done it. And he uploaded an audio chat from Twitter Spaces after confronting some of the journalists he banned.
The suspension of the accounts on Thursday afternoon has sparked outrage on both sides of the Atlantic over the curtailment of Musk’s press freedoms.
Accounts run by liberal commentators Keith Olbermann and Aaron Rupar were also suspended.
Irwin’s letter to Reuters offered little by way of further explanation.
“I understand that the focus seems to be primarily on reporters’ accounts, but today we applied the policy to reporters and non-reporters alike,” he wrote.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the suspensions, which included its tech reporter Drew Harwell, were instigated “at Ella’s direction.”
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Twitter action against media sets ‘dangerous precedent’ – UN
Joanna Walters
The United Nations is “deeply disturbed” by the arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said today, adding that media voices should not be silenced on a platform that professes to give space for freedom of expression.
The move sets a dangerous precedent at a time when journalists around the world face censorship, physical threats and worse,” Dujarric told reporters.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric says the organization is “deeply concerned” by Twitter’s suspensions of journalists, adding that it sets “a dangerous precedent” amid growing threats to press freedom worldwide. At 39:30 during today’s press conference here: https://t.co/FqkSQytzjI
— Brian Fung | @b_fung@masto.ai (@b_fung) December 16, 2022
Dujarric is the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, a position he has held since 2014, when he was appointed by the previous Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
Provisional Summary
It’s time to take stock of the evolution mid-Friday.
There is a growing global backlash against Elon Musk for suspending the accounts of several prominent journalists on Twitter. European leaders are threatening sanctions, while Musk’s company insists it only acted after a careful manual review.
Here’s what else we’ve been following:
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Joe Biden has been speaking at a National Guard center in Delaware, promoting the Compact Act that supports veterans’ health care and getting emotional talking about his late son Beau, a former Guard commander.
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The bipartisan House committee investigating Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 impeachment is making final preparations ahead of Monday’s final public hearing, the release of its report and civil and criminal charges for certain individuals, possibly including trump
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Senators have been discussing a long-term $1.7 trillion package to keep the government funded for another year. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants the Voter Count Act included to preserve the integrity of future elections.
Biden touts veterans health law in Delaware
Joe Biden is at a veterans’ town hall in New Castle, Delaware, choked with emotion as he talks about his late son Beau, a former National Guard commander for whom the center he spoke is named after.
The President kept his remarks very focused on the expansion of benefits and services for veterans resulting from the Compact Act, the introduction of a World War II pilot, and the need to support and improve physical health and mentality of retired military personnel.
Joe Biden talks with Ray Firmani, a 101-year-old World War II pilot, in New Castle, Delaware, on Friday. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The law helps veterans be screened for exposure to toxins, such as Agent Orange, which was used for deforestation during the Vietnam War; and the burn pits, where toxic waste was destroyed at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Biden said:
The Law of the Covenant was the first step in making sure we leave no one behind.
We also need to pass the bipartisan government funding bill so we can deliver on the promise of the act.
It was a more somber, softer delivery from Biden as he offered anecdotes about military families who have struggled to receive care and remembered his son Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015.
Updated at 18.01 GMT
Joe Biden is about to speak in Delaware. You can follow his comments live here:
Happening now: President Biden participates in a town hall with veterans and discusses the historic expansion of benefits in the PACT Act. https://t.co/PlsF9hwHrG
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 16, 2022
Happy Wright Brothers Day everyone, see you tomorrow! The White House has issued a proclamation commemorating the first motor fight, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.
“On Wright Brothers Day, we celebrate the ingenuity and perseverance of Orville and Wilbur Wright, whose airplane expanded the boundaries of human discovery and lifted this nation to new heights,” said the statement signed by Joe Biden .
“When their Wright Flyer finally took to the skies … they launched the future of aviation and helped define the American spirit: bold, daring, innovative and always asking what’s next.”
On Dec. 17 at 9 a.m., the Wright Brothers National Memorial will celebrate the achievements of Wilbur and Orville Wright on the 119th anniversary of their first powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight. On this special day, park entrance fees are waived. pic.twitter.com/MnMbwBxVEO
— Wright Brothers National Memorial (@WrightBrosNPS) December 5, 2022
Not missing a chance to brag, the White House takes the opportunity to tout some of its own accomplishments.
“[The] The bipartisan Infrastructure Act is investing $25 billion to renovate airport terminals; improve air traffic control facilities; and improve runways, taxiways and other vital infrastructure that make flying easier and safer,” he says.
“We’ve pushed airlines to rebook travelers’ tickets for free when flights are significantly delayed or canceled, and to disclose fees, such as checked baggage, clearly and upfront. And we’re exploring new technologies that can reduce carbon emissions from aircraft.”
Read the White House proclamation here.
The January 6 panel prepares to release the final report and references
It’s the final countdown for the bipartisan House committee investigating Donald Trump’s impeachment on Jan. 6 as it prepares for its final public hearing and release of the report next week. Also coming soon: criminal references.
The panel has set a date of 1pm on Monday for a “business meeting” where it will finalize its report and recommendations for legislative changes, and prepare to announce long-awaited referrals for civil and criminal charges , which many hope to include. Trump himself and several close allies.
But it is not clear whether the final report will also come on Monday. Bloomberg Congressional Correspondent Billy House says there are doubts, as important debates are still needed.
It turns out that the release of the full J6 report on Monday is not a settled matter. Discussions about what will be released as the committee meets on Monday are still ongoing.
— Billy House (@HouseInSession) December 15, 2022
The Guardian reported last month that there was something of a rift on the panel, with members split on focusing on Trump and his efforts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election; and issues such as intelligence failures by the FBI and others that allowed crowds of Trump supporters to easily overrun law enforcement defending the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who chairs the panel, urged observers this week to “stay tuned” as he declined to hint at references or conclusions. “We’re going with what we think are the strongest arguments,” he said, according to the New York Times.
The referrals could go two ways, the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reported last week: subpoenas for things that Congress can seek prosecution by statute, such as perjury or witness tampering, or broader recommendations such as arguing that Trump obstructed an official procedure on January 6.
The select committee held its first meeting in July 2021.
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Updated at 17.08 GMT
Joe Biden is in Delaware, meeting with veterans at a National Guard facility named after his late son. The president is urging them to take advantage of new healthcare opportunities under the legislation he signed in August.
Biden is scheduled to make public remarks at noon. We don’t know if he will restrict his comments to just the Pact Act, a law that helps veterans get screened for exposure to toxins that Senate Republicans blocked earlier this year in a political gimmick, before giving in.
Toxins include Agent Orange, which was used for deforestation during the Vietnam War, and burn pits, where garbage was…