Twitter Files — a collection of internal documents that provide an inside look into the inner workings of one of the world’s largest and most influential social media platforms. (summarization of the twitter file release from Matt Taibbi)

When Twitter first came on the scene, it was a game-changer. It allowed for instant mass communication and made real-time global conversation possible for the first time. But like all good things, Twitter’s innocence was short-lived. As the platform grew, so did the need for tools to control speech on the platform. Spam and financial fraudsters were among the first to be targeted, but before long, Twitter staff and executives found more and more uses for these tools.

As if that wasn’t enough, Twitter also began receiving requests from outside parties to manipulate speech on the platform. By 2020, requests from connected actors to delete tweets had become routine. And let’s be real, no one wants to see a tweet from their aunt’s neighbor’s cousin’s dog’s account. But here’s the thing, both political parties had access to these tools. The Trump White House and the Biden campaign both made requests to have tweets removed. But here’s the kicker, the system wasn’t balanced. It was based on contacts and because Twitter was and is overwhelmingly staffed by people of one political orientation, there were more channels and more ways to complain open to one side than the other. This led to a slant in content moderation…