'KABOOM', says Musk as Twitter Files 6 details tech giant's 'constant contact' with FBI

Twitter Files which is unraveling dark secrets of the social media platform, one at a time has managed to stir a storm all over the internet. The revelations regarding the involvement of the FBI and the ploy to suspend former US President Donald Trump’s account made many wonder whether the much-loved social media is still a place with integrity or not. On Saturday, the Tesla CEO and the new Twitter head shared Part 6 of the Twitter files, in which Journalist Matt Taibbi made numerous explosive claims. Elon Musk took to the micro-blogging platform and wrote “KABOOM” to describe the bombshell revelations made by Taibbi. 

The Twitter Files Part 6 is titled “TWITTER, THE FBI SUBSIDIARY,” in which Journalist Matt Taibbi claimed that the social media networking giant had close ties with the US Federal agency. Speaking more on the contact between the two institutions, Taibbi claimed that, “Twitter’s contact with the FBI was constant and pervasive as if it were a subsidiary”. The journalist alleges that from January 2020 to November 2022, over 150 emails were shared between the FBI and Yoel Roth, the former Twitter Trust and Safety chief. Before the release of Part 6 of the files, it was earlier reported that Roth “fled his home”, making things dicier. 

In part 6, the journalist alluded to the “quarterly call” that allegedly used to take place between the two bodies and claimed that San Francisco agent Elvis Chan used to request “information into Twitter users”, who are part of an active investigation. But what became the theme of Part 6 of the Twitter Files is the fact that the FBI made numerous requests to take “action” on election misinformation, even tweets that involved jokes and satire were not spared as well. Taibbi also alleged that Federal intelligence and law enforcement including the Department of Homeland Security pressurise the social media networking site to moderate content through security contractors and think tanks. 

‘HELLO TWITTER CONTACTS’: FBI requests Twitter to take action on multiple accounts

According to Taibbi, the FBI sent out emails to Twitter requesting them to take action on numerous Twitter accounts. Taibbi proved his case by sharing a snippet of the FBI email sent to “Hello Twitter Contacts” stating that “FBI San Francisco is notifying” to take action on four accounts in November 2022. Taibbi then alleged that Twitter went out to “look for reasons” to suspend the four accounts”. Taibbi also claimed that neither Twitter nor the FBI spared accounts that were putting out jokes and satire. According to the journalist, the organisations targeted both left-leaning and right-leaning accounts in this endeavour.

The US Federal agency kept on sending a list of accounts on which Twitter needs to take “additional actions” and the social media networking site complied with the requests in one way or another. Taibbi further shared a letter addressed to the “Deputy General Counsel and former FBI top lawyer”, Jim Baker written in September 2022. The letter was written by “legal exec” Stacia Cardille and outlined the results from “soon to be weekly” meetings with DHS, Department of Justice, and FBI along with the office of the Director of National Intelligence. According to Taibbi, in the letter, the Twitter executive asked if there are any “impediments” involved in sharing “classified information with the industry”. In response to this Taibbi claimed that the “FBI was adamant no impediments to sharing exist”.  

The journalist ended the Twitter Files Part 6 by sharing a snippet of a March 2021 email, in which the FBI “liaison” thanked senior Twitter executives and then went on to “deliver a packet of products”. FBI’s involvement in the operations of Twitter was alleged in the first part of the Twitter Files as well. Throughout December the different parts of Twitter files made numerous revelations, regarding US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden and the suspension of former President Donald Trump’s account.