On the basis of alleged fake news and/or misinformation, Twitter has banned content and removed users from their services. Fake news and misinformation rules, on the other hand, appear to be a minefield. Twitter has established precedents where firms supported by private wealth can arbitrate what is generally acknowledged as fact by removing, flagging, and censoring tweets and profiles they believe to be fake news and misinformation. It's easy to see why so many people perceive these occurrences as Orwellian steps toward a dystopian future in which our ability to think is limited by agents of power and wealth in our societies. |
Elon Musk threatens to scrap Twitter deal over ‘breach’ of agreement
He’s still demanding more data on spam bots
June 6.– Elon Musk says that Twitter is in “clear material breach” of their $44 billion acquisition deal and that he could “terminate” the agreement in response. In a letter sent to Twitter this morning, Musk’s legal team claims that Twitter has failed to provide him with information on the service’s spam bot problem and that he’s entitled to receive that information under the deal agreement.
“Mr. Musk believes the company is actively resisting and thwarting his information rights (and the company’s corresponding obligations) under the merger agreement,” the lawyers write. The letter says Musk could choose “not to consummate the transaction” because of the alleged breach of contract.
Musk has spent weeks complaining about the spam bot problem on Twitter in what has appeared to be a strange effort to escape a deal he signed barely more than a month ago. Musk previously tweeted that the deal was “on hold” due to his concerns around bots and said the deal “cannot move forward” until Twitter proves the accuracy of its spam counts.
But it wasn’t until today that Musk made an official threat to ...
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