CTH has been watching carefully for several weeks; looking, reading and observing the expressed priorities of Elon Musk in an effort to evaluate his free speech intents and purposes. After careful and cautious consideration, I can now say Elon Musk is the closest thing to John Galt in our lifetime.
Today, Mr. Musk drew attention to one of the central cancers. Musk is highlighting the strategy leftists use to target corporations, demand they withdraw advertising dollars, and force them into compliance against any unapproved platform designated by the woke mob.
[CNN Story Here – MMfA Letter Here – Elon Musk Tweet Link Here]
David Brock’s Media Matters for America (MMFA) has organized an activist campaign against companies who advertise on Twitter. [SEE LETTER HERE] Their intent is to assemble all of the radical activist groups, directly target any company who would advertise on Twitter and by extension force woke compliance by the social media platform Musk is purchasing.
The letter urges advertisers to make their next ad deals with Twitter contingent on changes to platform policy under Mr Musk. However, Musk is pushing back against the effort by asking, “who funds these organizations that want to control your access to information? Let’s investigate.” He then goes on to tweet, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”
(CNN) – Some of the nation’s biggest brands including Coca-Cola (CCEP), Disney (DIS) and Kraft (KHC) are facing calls to boycott Twitter if the company’s soon-to-be owner, billionaire Elon Musk, rolls back content moderation policies limiting hate speech and election misinformation.
In a letter sent to brands Tuesday ahead of the 2022 NewFronts digital advertising conference, more than two dozen civil society groups said marketers should secure commitments from Twitter to retain its most critical policies, including on civic integrity and hateful conduct, and threaten to withdraw funding if Twitter does not comply.
“As top advertisers on Twitter (TWTR), your brand risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation, and conspiracy theorists,” the letter said, adding: “Your ad dollars can either fund Musk’s vanity project or hold him to account.” (read more)
Musk has advocated for increased transparency on the mechanisms and algorithms within the Twitter platform, in order to gain public trust. Everyone knows that Twitter management manipulates the platform based on ideology. Even the original creator of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has admitted the political preferences within the company are directly connected to the control mechanisms that have been built within it.
One of the key tell-tale sentences in the MMFA led letter is this:
“Consider the implications of full-scale public visibility into Twitter’s algorithm”..
The left-wing organizations and activist groups are worried about what public disclosure of the Twitter censorship and control mechanisms might mean. As a result of their fear, their strategy is to ask advertising corporations to pressure Elon Musk into keeping the background engineering hidden from review. There is no incentive for Musk to do that as a private company, except this type of blackmail effort.
The need for control is a reaction to fear. MMfA and their allies fear a free, open and uncontrolled information platform; and they fear that people will discover just how much has been done to tilt the discussion in their favor by controlling and silencing their opposition.
I can appreciate that Musk is taking the issues of free communication seriously. He is dealing with challenges of incredible consequence, he yet he carries on that battle with a light spirit and does not take himself seriously. That is a remarkably valuable skillset.
If the full purchase deal can be finalized, Musk will take the company private. However, Musk has also reportedly shared that after a few years of private ownership, he would be willing to make the company a public offering again. Per the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Musk said he plans to stage an initial public offering of Twitter in as little as three years of buying it, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal is expected to close later this year, subject to conditions including the approval of Twitter shareholders and regulators, the company has said.
On the topic of “Twitter algorithms being exposed to the public” (TM)
What confidence do we have that them ‘algorithms’ will still be there when Musk’s techs get behind the wheel?
Deleted?
And archival backups deleted or scrambled or overwritten?
General monkeywrenching proceeding apace from a month ago until Musk’s people actually take over?
Signed,
I’ll Believe It When I See It
(Great grandson of Color Me Skeptical)
The short answer to your question is “That’s not going to happen.”
The longer answer is:
That would be a common concern for lay people. And well founded from that POV.
Elon started adult life as a coder, as in Computer code. What is Twitter’s single biggest physical asset? The code that runs the Twitter site.
I am very sure that alterations to the code before ownership transfer is a deal breaker. And many other things as well. This deal is not done until the last transfer agreement signatures go on paper. And those are preceded by many other signed documents. Many things can still go wrong.
I was a coder before I moved on to Business Analysis. The first thing that you do when you attempt to buy ownership of code is require an escrow in the form of a verifiable backup of the current code – BEFORE the intent/option to purchase agreement is signed. Your people compare the backup code to the code that is currently running and then escrow that with a third party Escrow company. Just common sense.
And no one has to physically look at the code to do that. It is done with another piece of code that compares both line by line, just like high end backup software does today.
It’s been done like this for decades. Been there done that myself….
Thank you for that excellent explanation!
Musk is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. To paraphrase a kindred spirit of his from a recent past.
Musk has the ultimate megaphone, and a big bucket of listeners. This could backfire spectacularly on the companies targeted by MMFA. If Disney is any guide, the C-Suite will tell Brock to pound sand. The tears will be delicious as Brock’s slush funders begin to realize they’re no match for actual consumers.
Now people with money will be seeing those ads, instead of kids living in mom’s basement. Capitalism will win again.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/billflax/2011/09/01/obama-hitler-and-exploding-the-biggest-lie-in-history/?sh=47c1a1cf47a6
Obama, Hitler and Exploding the biggeset lie in history
“The line between fascism and Fabian socialism is very thin. Fabian socialism is the dream. Fascism is Fabian socialism plus the inevitable dictator.” John T. Flynn
I suggest there is much collusion between leftists on boards of and in positions of power at the executive level
of large corporations.and the federal government…..ala Facism.
Not saying there isn’t blackmail and pressure from the communist liberal woke crowd. There certainly is.
Once again, the root of our problems come from a corrupt media. When one reads The New York Times
or watches CNN, CNBC, etc. one gets a perspective that the world all agrees with you with the exception of
a small minority of right wing fringe. Nothing can be further from the truth as they end up discovering
when they set up their diversity and critical race theory employee training – then, lose business because
when we conservatives find out, we go “No” and don’t purchase their products.
Amjean,
Agree but I question is whether conservatives will stick together. The MSM has made “news” confusing and incomplete; many quit trying to understand our world. Most of the people I know don’t do Twitter and some do Facebook with friends & family. I know only a handful who seek real truth. I don’t know many who have sought answers via Alternative Media.
My personal observation within my narrow experience is that very many don’t give a damn or find themselves too embroiled in making a living or seeking a higher status.
It’s like there isn’t even time to have a relationship with Our Creator.
“when we conservatives find out, we go “No” and don’t purchase their products.”
Something I did starting about 30 years ago was don’t purchase their products, share that message, dump their stock and shun their employees far and wide. If done en-masse, we could destroy fascist corporate America. As some of those cockbag employees told me along the way, it’s not personal, it’s business. Fair enough. No remorse, no compassion, no empathy, nothing. It is what it is.
The leftist media is the tick that wags the dog. They hold influence far beyond their numbers. This must end.
He brought his mother to the Met gala.
What would we ever do if Woke-a-Cola and Disney were no longer on Twatter?
Oh the Horror….
For your Musk file: https://traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/R005_Mus.htm
Pretty simple, really. Any ad boycotters forfeit access for at least a year while favorable rates are offered to their competitors. That will STTFU!
Is he john gault? One can hope, interesting cat! -_-
Would this be called “Musklighting”?
Musk’s motivations are very simple. He wants to be the world’s first trillionaire. At a time when the world’s elite have put all their eggs in the censorship basket, Musk has taken the other side of that bet. It’s likely to be very lucrative for him.
I enjoy Musk’s enthusiasms and genuine engineering smarts.
But – he is a grifter.
The guy sells ELECTRIC cars. Think he will permit full open discussion and display of facts regarding the global warming/climate change scam?
Look at Burt Rutan’s great brief on the global warming scam. This is what an honest engineer says about it. ..
https://rps3.com/Pages/Burt_Rutan_on_Climate_Change.htm
Musk, apparently an equally sharp engineer, has got to see the truth. BUT it’s not what he says … https://futurism.com/elon-musk-outlined-two-critical-things-threatening-humanity
Also consider:
Instead of US fossil fuel electric cars are more dependent on Xi and friends for batteries and rare earths.
Electric cars would put an unsupportable demand on transmission lines, generators, substations for years. A cost not paid by the Tesla owners but everyone else.
Eventually Musk promoted ‘smart cars’ would necessarily drive everyone else off the road. Remember COVID? Deep State and your cell phone? ‘Smart cars’ would give government even more power over our lives.
No doubt. Musk is a virtuoso at playing the tax breaks and incentives system we have. He doesn’t do anything without a profit motive. That said, his enemies are currently the correct enemies, and it’s glorious to watch them in full panic.
A little one sided, aren’t you? Maybe you should also include Toyota, GM, etc., and all the other automobile manufacturers that sell in the US who established a business model per the guidelines of the EV credit program established by Obama. Yea, and we know the rationale behind that program, the constant doom and gloom climate change BS. However, until Biden, the US was energy independent with adequate energy sources and supply that allowed consumers to purchase whatever they wanted. Unfortunately, unless things drastically change, irrespective of whatever power train you choose for automotive transport you’re screwed. Gas prices are going through the ceiling and frequent occurrences of electrical grid brownouts. If you can’t fill the tank and charge it to start it, you’re toast. Musk has nothing to do with this current state of affairs.
He’s gonna have to do a lot of good to offset the bad he’s complicit in. Maybe after he get’s the trillions he’s after he’ll leave the dark side of globull warming and unsustainable money losing electric cars.
Ford found out the hard way electric cars are a losing proposition when not funded by the government.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2022/04/29/ford-reports-devastating-losses-thanks-to-electric-vehicle-gamble-1231662/
Liberals/dimovrats/etc.—-“free speech will destroy our democracy”
Starting to have some respect for elon. I like his responses. He’s certainly an improvement over jack-@zz duhrsey.
WOW! The democRAT SS is going into overdrive for the upcoming election. Soon they will be digging mass graves for anyone who does NOT COMPLY with their demands. BE AFRAID!
List of leftist organizations aligned to silence free speech… Not surprising really, we need to cot of their funding sources as well.
Access Now Accountable Tech Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation Center for Countering Digital Hate Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) Face the Music Collective Fair Vote UK Free Press Friends of the Earth Gender Equity Policy Institute GLAAD Global Project Against Hate and Extremism Indivisible Northern Nevada Kairos Media Matters for America MediaJustice NARAL Pro-Choice America National Hispanic Media Coalition Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice Reproaction Stop Online Violence Against Women Inc The Sparrow Project UltraViolet Union of Concerned Scientists V-Day/One Billion Rising Women’s March
Elon Musk is one of the very few people who doesn’t build companies to do something to raise money, but rather builds companies to use money to do something.
Choose wisely, and making more money comes along for the ride.
Musk.
The enemy of my enemy?
But I promise, he is not a friend.
However, lately he is entertaining for our side.
But never forget this is the man who intends to implant computers into human brains.
Yes, he is involved in research that is moving towards implanting a computer into the brain of a veteran of the war in Iraq who had his legs blown off. The goal is to get this veteran walking again. Let us know if you have a problem with that. I certainly don’t.
Looks like the disinfectant is working in Florida Disney has lost $63 billion in market cap , who is next ?
One of my favorite quotes, in one of my favorite movies.
Right up there with;
Josie – “…because people I like aren’t around very long.”
Lone Watie – “I notice that people you don’t like, aren’t around very long either.”
So CNN is concerned about “election misinformation”? Twitter blocked any message that even mentioned Benford’s law. Violations of Benford’s law is one of the primary ways the United Nations detects election tampering in elections world wide. In all the cities in which Trump alleged election tampering, Biden’s vote totals violated Benford’s law, indicating his vote totals had been adjusted via one of a variety of cheating techniques. Not violating Benford’s law doesn’t indicate no cheating occurred, because there are methods of cheating that don’t result in Benford’s law being violated; but a violation of Benford’s law is a clear indication of cheating. But twitter would block your message and ban you for even having the word “benford” in your message. That’s protecting misinformation, not preventing it.
Everything Elon Musk has been doing is great and I am so happy to see this. I still have trouble trusting him though. He was at the meeting on Jekyll Island Georgia with all the republicans and big tech losers. We know why everyone else was there but maybe not why musk was there.
Because it’s beautiful Jekyll Island only thing even close is Saint Simons
He’s going to make Twitter open source. That way everyone can see the programming and know that it either is or is not biased. – No Ministry of Truth….Just info.
Hopefully no anonymity as well.
Was going thru my morning news routine at work today and saw a post on twitter by SD that he is all in with Elon Musk. (those are my words, not SD’s).
I was a bit surprised, and I have been cautiously optimistic about Musk myself. Still do not totally trust him or his motivations, but an endorsement from Sundance carries a lot of weight, with me. Time will tell. As usual, SD is always weeks, months, or years ahead of everyone else.
We do live in interesting times.
On an additional note, I am encouraged to see Conservatarians fighting back and not just blindly swallowing the RINOsplaining mantra of the day. 40 years late, still glad they finally showed up to the party.
The Soros funded left will crawl back under the rock they came from. Sunlight is to the left as it is to vampires. Has the same effect.
Brock needs Purged…and it should have been done a long time ago.
You are hitting hard and telling it like it is
REVEALED: George Soros, Clinton and Obama staffers and European governments are behind anti-Musk campaign to force big corporations to boycott Twitter – after Elon demanded to know ‘who funds these organizations?’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10780583/George-Soros-Clinton-Obama-staffers-European-governments-anti-Musk-campaign.html