Elon Musk Accuses Facebook of Manipulating Public and Backing Censorship

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched a scathing attack on Facebook, now known as Meta, accusing the social media giant of “manipulating the public,” according to a recently published article in the New York Post. The confrontation escalates the ongoing feud between Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, with the former highlighting allegations of censorship by Facebook’s alleged fact-checking operation. The accusations come amidst a backdrop of heightened competition and rivalry between the two tech billionaires.

As was reported by the Post, Musk’s criticism of Facebook was ignited by a report from Sky News Australia, which claimed that Meta-funded Facebook has been bankrolling a fact-checking operation that censors political content. The report alleges that the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), backed by Meta, has placed fact checks on posts expressing views contrary to the creation of a proposed “Voice to Parliament” for indigenous communities in Australia, the Post report indicated. The investigation revealed that the fact checks appeared to target anti-Voice opinions, raising concerns about the impartiality of the fact-checking process.

Taking to his platform, which was previously known as Twitter, Musk accused Facebook of manipulating the public on a global scale. He pointed out that the company’s refusal to open-source its algorithm further fuels suspicions.

“Facebook is manipulating the public almost everywhere on Earth,” Musk wrote on X, the Post reported stated. “That is why they won’t open-source their algorithm.”

The report’s findings indicated that RMIT’s “Fact Lab” displayed partisan tendencies, with its head, Russell Skelton, openly expressing criticisms of conservative viewpoints despite the lab’s claimed nonpartisan role as an independent fact-checker, as was noted in the Post report.

“An audit of RMIT Voice fact checks showed the 17 Voice checks between May 3 and June 23 this year were all targeting anti-Voice opinions or views,” the report said.

Additionally, an RMIT staffer, Renee Davidson, reportedly authored fact-checks related to the “Voice to Parliament” debate, raising concerns about impartiality, according to the Post report.

“She used the powers granted to RMIT Fact Lab to censor an opinion about a political debate she disagreed with,” the outlet alleged.

Musk’s allegations against Facebook are not without precedent. The social media giant has faced criticism for its handling of content in the past, as was indicated in the Post report. Notably, Facebook’s “independent” fact-checkers have been accused of censoring dissenting views. The platform blocked content from sources like The New York Post that presented alternative theories about COVID-19’s origins and reported on Hunter Biden’s laptop before the presidential election. Last year, Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook was wrong to ban the sharing of the story and said the suppression occurred after a vague FBI warning about potential “Russian propaganda,” as was reported by the Post.

Twitter, which was run by Jack Dorsey at the time, also prevented users from posting links to the story.

The rivalry between Musk and Zuckerberg has been intensifying recently. The Post report said that In addition to sparring over their respective businesses, the two billionaires openly discussed the possibility of a “cage match” between them. While Zuckerberg suggested it was time to move on from the idea, Musk’s acquisition of X for $44 billion last year and the launch of the text-based app “Threads” by Meta have added fuel to the competitive fire.

Musk’s concerns also extend to privacy issues. He expressed apprehensions about Meta’s Threads app’s privacy policies, citing potential data collection from user activities, the Post report said. Musk’s approach to transparency varies; he opened-sourced X’s algorithm last year but has also faced criticism for moves that limit transparency, such as revoking free access to its application programming interface (API) and altering the display of news articles on the site.

Elon Musk’s accusations against Meta (Facebook) shed light on the ongoing tensions in the tech industry, where competition, privacy concerns, and allegations of censorship intersect. As Musk and Zuckerberg exchange barbs and the battle for market dominance rages on, the public and stakeholders continue to watch closely, evaluating each company’s claims and actions within the ever-evolving landscape of technology and information.