INFOGRAPHIC: Key Revelations of the ‘Twitter Files’

Reveal How

Number Of Accounts

Petr Svab

The Epoch Times

Documents revealed by Twitter’s new owner, tech billionaire Elon Musk, show the social media company has been intertwined with a government–private censorship apparatus.

Twitter suppressed or removed content on various subjects, including irregularities in the 2020 elections, mail-in voting issues, and various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company was under government pressure to purge such content and its purveyors from the platform, though most of the time it was cooperating with the censorship requests willingly, the documents indicate.

Musk took over Twitter in October, taking the company private. He then fired around half of the staff and much of the upper management, vowing to take Twitter in a new direction. The “#TwitterFiles” releases have been part of his promised focus on transparency for the company.

He allowed several independent journalists to submit search queries that were then used by Twitter staff to search through the company’s internal documents, sometimes under the condition that the resulting stories would be first published on the platform itself.

Infographic can be downloaded at full size via a web link found at myvalleynews.com/blog/2023/01/22/infographic-key-revelations-of-the-twitter-files/ is that if exposure, e.g., misinformation directly causes harm, we should use remediations that reduce exposure, and limiting the spread/virality of content is a good way to do that (by just reducing prevalence overall),” said Yoel Roth, then Twitter’s head of trust and safety, which governs content policy, in a 2021 internal message published by Weiss.

The two journalists primarily responsible for the releases have been journalists Matt Taibbi, a former contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, and Bari Weiss, a former editor at both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Both are liberals who have expressed disillusionment with the more extreme currents of progressivism and neoliberalism.

Others involved in the releases have been independent journalists Lee Fang and David Zweig, former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, and author and environmentalist Michael Shellenberger.

The journalists have only released a fraction of the documents they reviewed. They’ve also redacted the names of employees involved, aside from some highlevel executives.

The documents show that the FBI and other state, local, and federal agencies have been scru- tinizing the political speech of Americans on a significant scale, and trying to get lawful speech suppressed or removed online. Many conservative and traditionally liberal commentators have deemed that a violation of the First Amendment. Twitter, a major hub of political speech, has been among the main targets of censorship. Many news stories have broken on Twitter in recent years, and a significant portion of the nation’s political debate takes place on the platform, as it allows an efficient way for direct and public interaction between users, from the most prominent to the least.

Twitter resisted some censorship requests, but there was little sign the company did so as a matter of principle. Rather, executives sometimes couldn’t find a policy they could use as a justification. Prior Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was under pressure from his lieutenants to expand the policies to allow more thorough censorship, the documents show.

“The hypothesis underlying much of what we’ve implemented

“We got Jack on board with implementing this for civic integrity in the near term, but we’re going to need to make a more robust case to get this into our repertoire of policy remediations—especially for other policy domains.”

In many cases, Twitter leaders de facto allowed the government to silence its critics on the platform.

Many censorship requests came in with an imperious attitude, particularly those from the Biden White House, but also some from the office of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who at the time headed the powerful House Intelligence Committee.

Around November 2020, Schiff’s office sent a list of demands to Twitter, including for the removal of “any and all content” about the committee’s staff and the suspension of “many” accounts, including that of Paul Sperry, a journalist with RealClearInvestigations.

Schiff’s office accused Sperry of harassment and promoting “false QAnon conspiracies.”

Sperry rejected the allegation, asking Schiff to show evidence for his claims, and announced that he was considering legal action.

Schiff’s demands were apparently a response to Sperry’s articles that speculated on the identity of the White House whistleblower that alleged a “quid pro quo” between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sperry reported, using anonymous sources, that the whistleblower was likely then-CIA analyst Eric Ciaramella, who was overheard talking in the White House with Sean Misko, a holdover staffer from the Obama administration. Misko later joined Schiff’s committee.

Twitter rejected Schiff’s demands, save for reviewing “again” Sperry’s account activity. Sperry’s account was suspended months later. Taibbi said he wasn’t able to find out why.

Under Pressure

The many censorship requests Twitter received via the FBI were phrased as merely bringing information to its attention, leaving it up to the company to decide what to do with them. But Twitter executives clearly felt compelled to accommodate these requests, even in cases where they internally struggled to justify doing so, the documents show.

The government pressure took several forms. The FBI would follow up on its requests, and if they weren’t fulfilled, Twitter had to explain itself to the bureau. If Twitter’s position on an issue differed from the one expected by the government, company executives would be questioned and made aware that the bureau, and even the broader intelligence community, wasn’t happy. That would send the executives into triage mode, rushing to salvage the relationship, which they apparently considered essential.

Corporate media served as another pressure point. If Twitter wouldn’t do what it was told fast enough, the media would be provided with information portraying Twitter as ignoring some problem of paramount importance, such as possible foreign influence operations on its platform.

One censorship request, for instance, targeted an account allegedly run by Russian intelligence, though Twitter wasn’t given any evidence of it.

“Due to a lack of technical evidence on our end, I’ve generally left it be, waiting for more evidence,” said one Twitter executive, who Taibbi says previously worked for the CIA.

“Our window on that is closing, given that government partners are becoming more aggressive on attribution and reporting on it.”

The internal email suggests that Twitter, despite having no concrete evidence to back it, wouldn’t dare to disobey the request because of the media fallout of the government publicly labeling the account as being run by Russian intelligence. Congress was perhaps the heaviest sword of Damocles hanging over Twitter’s head. Lawmakers could not only spur negative media coverage, but also tie up the company in hearings and investigations, or even introduce legislation that could hurt Twitter’s bottom line.

For instance, just as Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) was pushing Twitter to produce more evidence of Russian influence operations on its platform in 2017, he also teamed up with Sens. Amy Klobuchar (DMinn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) to propose a bill that would have required extensive disclosures of online political advertising.

In the meantime, Twitter managers were convinced that lawmakers were leaking information that Twitter had provided to them and seeding negative news stories, even as the company was trying to placate them with increasingly stringent actions toward actual and alleged Russia-linked accounts.

Even though the FBI was officially only alerting Twitter to the activities of malign foreign actors, many of the censorship requests were simply lists of accounts with little to no evidence of malign foreign links. At times, Twitter tried to ask for more information, noting that it couldn’t find any evidence on its end, but often it simply complied. It was impossible for Twitter to do its due diligence on each request—there were simply too many, according to Taibbi.

Read the full report online at myvalleynews.com/ blog/2023/01/22/infographic-keyrevelations-of-the-twitter-files/

board approves State Revolving Fund application for Canyon Lake treatment plant

Joe Naiman Writer

The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District will be seeking a State Revolving Fund loan from the State Water Resources Control Board for the first phase of improvements at the district’s Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant.

The EVMWD board voted 4-0 Thursday, Jan. 12, to adopt a resolution authorizing district general manager Greg Thomas to file a financial assistance application with the SWRCB and to execute the necessary documents for the loan. Jack Ferguson, who was appointed to fill a board vacancy earlier that day, abstained due to his lack of previous information.

The Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant is a conventional water facility which uses mixed media filtration. The plant has a rated ca-

Visit Temecula Valley, the region’s official destination tourism and marketing organization, announced its 2023 Board of Directors on Jan. 17, which includes newly appointed and reappointed leaders who will help guide the organization through the year ahead.

Led by newly elected Chairman of the Board Michael Feeley, Executive Director of the Pechanga Development Corporation, the Board is composed of community leaders with a passion for Temecula Valley and a wealth of experience in local tourism and hospitality.

Executive Committee Members and Officers for 2023 are Michael Feeley of Pechanga Development Corporation, Chairman; Jessica

City News Service Special to the Valley News

With gains throughout the regional economy, Riverside County’s unemployment rate ended 2022 below 4%, according to figures released by the California Employment Development Department.

The jobless rate in December, based on preliminary EDD estimates, was 3.7%, compared to 4.2% in November pacity of 9 million gallons per day although the ultraviolet treatment plant is rated at 7 million gallons per day and operational constraints limit average current production to between 3 million gallons per day and 5 million gallons per day.

According to figures, the December rate was more than one percentage point lower than the year-ago level, when countywide unemployment stood at 4.9%, as the statewide COVID-driven public health restrictions came to an end.

In January 2017, the EVMWD board approved a consultant contract with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants to prepare a facilities master plan for the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant. The plan recommended phased improvements based on the condition assessment, and the capacity was to be increased to 7 million gallons per day for the near term and 9 million gallons per day for the mediumterm and long-term phases.

Testing in late 2019 for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances contaminants found elevated levels of PFAS in the Canyon Lake Reservoir. PFAS substances include

Hinton of Barefoot Vacation Rentals, Secretary; John Kelliher, Grapeline Wine Tours, 1st Vice Chair; Curt Kucera of Refuge Brewery, 2nd Vice Chair; Cherise Manning of Grape Escape Balloon Adventure, Treasurer; Ken Westmyer of Quality Inn, 2nd Vice Chair, TID; and Bill Wilson of Wilson Creek Winery, Past Chairman.

The new board members are Steve Diaz of Hilton Garden Inn, Samantha Doffo of Doffo Winery, Kristen Frame of Embassy Suites and Robert Kellerhouse of Galway Downs.

Continuing board members are Melody Brunsting of Melody’s Adworks, Krista Chaich of Temecula Valley Winegrowers As - perfluorooctane sulfanic acid and perfluorooctanic acid. The state notification levels for PFAS contaminants are 6.5 parts per trillion for PFOS and 5.1 ppt for PFOA. The state response level, which requires a drinking water source to be shut down or that extensive notification be issued, is 40 parts per trillion for PFOS and 10 parts per trillion for PFOA. The Canyon Lake Reservoir was shut down in November 2019 after averaging 15 parts per trillion for PFOS and 22 parts per trillion for PFOA. The reservoir closure requires the district to purchase imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California at MWD rates.

The contaminant discovery necessitates additional treatment methods to reduce the levels to below the regulatory requirements.

In February 2021, the state’s Divi- sion of Drinking Water announced its intent to establish notification levels for cranobacterial toxins, and the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant pilot testing will also include those contaminants. The Phase 1 improvements for the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant were paused until a feasibility study for PFAS treatment could be completed.

In March 2021, the EVMWD board approved a $3,578,526 design contract with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for the first phase of treatment improvements at the Canyon Lake Water Treatment Plant. The treatment system will address taste and odor as well as PFAS contamination. A hybrid system which will utilize granular activated carbon treatment followed by ion exchange vessels has been recommended. Pilot testing, which will last for about nine months, will determine the feasibility of treatment technologies. sociation, Kurt Helm of South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, Chris Johnson of Home2Suites, Jeffrey Kurtz of Promenade Temecula, Spencer Szczygiel of Temecula Valley Winery Management and Ken Smith of Galway Downs.

The State Water Resources Control Board has a State Revolving Fund program which provides 20-year loans with interest rates between 1.5% and 3%. The district is seeking a $41.5 million loan. The current SRF loan interest rate is 1.9 percent, so repayment over 20 years would create annual debt service of approximately $2,513,577. Because Federal or state grants may also cover treatment for emergency contaminants some principal forgiveness might occur and the actual annual repayments as well as the actual interest rate will be determined upon approval of the loan.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.

“I’m truly honored to take on the role of Board Chairman and look forward to tapping into the vast knowledge and experience of our board members as we inspire the world to visit Temecula Valley,” Feeley said.

About Visit Temecula Valley

Visit Temecula Valley is the region’s official tourism marketing organization and resource for visitors. For more information, www. visittemeculavalley.com

An estimated 42,900 county residents were recorded as out of work in December, and 1,130,500 were employed, according to EDD.

Coachella had the highest unemployment rate countywide last month at 8.5%, followed by Cherry Valley at 6.9%, Mecca at 5.9%, Rancho Mirage at 5.6% and Hemet at 5.5%.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties in December was 3.6%, down from 4.2% in November, according to figures.

Bi-county data indicated payrolls expanded by the widest margin in trade, transportation and utilities, which added 2,200 positions last month, the lion’s share of which was in warehousing.

Additional gains were documented in the construction, health services, professional business services and public sectors, which altogether grew by 3,100 jobs.

Miscellaneous unclassified industries also posted payroll growth of 300, the EDD said.

T he mining and information technology sectors were unchanged.

Officials said payrolls declined in the agricultural, financial services, hospitality and manufacturing sectors, which shed an aggregate 2,600 positions. Data indicated the statewide non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in December was also 3.7%.