The "Twitter Files" is a series of internal documents that were obtained by sources at Twitter, which tells an incredible story from inside one of the world's largest and most influential social media platforms. Initially, Twitter was a brilliant tool for enabling instant mass communication, making a true real-time global conversation possible for the first time. However, Twitter was slowly forced to add barriers to control speech. Some of the first tools for controlling speech were designed to combat the likes of spam and financial fraudsters.

As time progressed, Twitter staff and executives began to find more and more uses for these tools. Outsiders began petitioning the company to manipulate speech as well. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets were routine. Celebrities and unknowns alike could be removed or reviewed at the behest of a political party. Both parties had access to these tools, but the system was unbalanced, based on contacts.

The resulting slant in content moderation decisions is visible in the documents. However, it's also the assessment of multiple current and former high-level executives. The "Twitter Files" reveal how Twitter took extraordinary steps to suppress the story of the "Hunter Biden Laptop," removing links and posting warnings that it may be "unsafe." They even blocked its transmission via direct message, a tool hitherto reserved for extreme cases, e.g. child pornography. White House spokeswoman Kaleigh McEnany was locked out of her account for tweeting about the story.

Twitter's censorship goes against free speech and is a threat to democracy. The social media platform has become a breeding ground for a one-sided conversation, where only certain political opinions are heard. This leads to the dangerous suppression of opposing viewpoints, which results in less informed citizens. The censorship also leads to a rise in political polarization and reduces the likelihood of productive dialogue between opposing sides. Twitter's censorship is the opposite of what the platform initially stood for.

The Twitter Files reveal a dangerous trend in social media censorship. The censorship of ideas and opinions can lead to the suppression of free speech and democracy. As individuals, we should strive to promote diversity in opinion and engage in conversations that challenge our own beliefs. We should stand against any kind of censorship that promotes one-sided conversations and prevents the free exchange of ideas.

"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it." - Mark Twain.

Additional resource:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."