After being a happy and relatively active Twitter user (personal account) since April of 2008 I have decided to leave the platform.
This is why I am leaving Twitter.
“TLDR: Ethically questionable and morally repugnant actions have persisted for months under the new leadership of @Twitter
To stay would be to continue to create content, engagement, and contribute to revenue that supports statements like the one re-tweeted above. I will not.”
[Statement Re-tweeted: “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” - Elon Musk, December 11th, 2022.]
The stark number of racists statements, anti-LGBTQIA statements, anti-semitic incitements to violence, and targeting of groups of people with hate speech is unprecedented on Twitter.
Targeting of Scientists and removing fact checking regarding COVID-19 while Musk himself tweets scientifically inaccurate statements indicates this platform will not recover public trust or utility in the near future.
What will be left is paid bot farms and a hackers paradise: they will eat their own and become nothing more than a next generation 4Chan. As I type this my account has a ‘deleting in 24 hours’ as my final post. Somehow my profile image is already greyed out.
But it’s not just incitement of violence, it’s not just erroneous scientific statements that can directly impact the health and livelihoods of people, it’s how fragile their data protection systems are — rising to the level of a threat to National Security. The prior head of Twitter data security testified in front of Congress and the revelations were nothing short of terrifying:
Reuters: Twitter whistleblower reveals employees concerned China agent could collect user data
TechCrunch: What we learned when Twitter whistleblower Mudge testified to Congress
USA Today: Twitter whistleblower brings critiques to Congress
It’s of course sad to say goodbye to a friend, so thanks Twitter for what you were. In the meantime you can find me at LaughterInLight_ on Med-Mastodon, here on this Substack where my posting cadence will increase, and, of course, TikTok.
Mask-up, stay safe, I’ll see you all later.
Additional articles covering the demise of Twitter:
Bloomberg Law: Twitter Risks Fines, Musk Liability for Potential Data Lapses
TechCrunch: Ireland’s privacy watchdog engaging with Twitter over data access to reporters
NYTimes: Hate Speech’s Rise on Twitter Is Unprecedented, Researchers Find
Washington Post: Surging Twitter antisemitism unites fringe, encourages violence, officials say
Business Insider: Skyrocketing slurs, racism, and antisemitic content on Twitter may encourage domestic terrorists, report warns: 'Violence is inevitable'
Firewall Times: Twitter Data Breaches: Full Timeline Through 2022
USA Today: Musk's Twitter takeover raises more questions than answers about data privacy
The Guardian: Twitter whistleblower tells Senate of ‘egregious’ security failings by company
Brookings: Why is Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover increasing hate speech?
NPR: Twitter's chaos could make political violence worse outside of the U.S.
Newsweek: Fact Check: Did Twitter Scrap Its Covid-19 Misinformation Restrictions?
Dear LiL: my wife is a huge fan of your epidemiological posts on Tik Tok. She’s been our family Covid safety champion for three years: boosters, masks, testing before gatherings, sending everyone your posts once a week, etc.
Tomorrow is her birthday, and, well, could I pay you to make a short happy birthday/keep it up message? This is so awkwad to ask! you’re so educated and qualified, but you’re also an entrepreneur…. I just thought I’d give it a shot. I have no idea how to contact you other than this🤞🏼garrettsorenson@gmail.com
Hi, I follow you on Tick Tock all the time. You're actually the main person I'm there to see. I'm sad what's happening on Twitter but I'm still on there because it's the easiest way to find really good covid information at this point still.
I'm hoping you can just see this tweet (https://twitter.com/MaryScaletta/status/1608999971776335874?t=PmPlofcsU3Pm4-0Gdst_EQ&s=19) and answer the burning question that I'm desperate to find an answer for. I think I really need an immunologist to answer. I truly wonder if nobody knows the answer. Everyone focuses on transmission before you get the virus but what about increasing your viral load while you have the virus in the beginning while your body is still fighting it?
Can someone please fill the void on this?