A prominent left-wing group campaigned vigorously to get huge advertisers off Twitter as a retaliatory measure following the takeover of the micro-blogging giant by tech tycoon Elon Musk.
According to Fox News, Accountable Tech has direct links to Hillary Clinton and the ultra-left Arabella Advisors empire of "dark money".
Accountable Tech directly tried to influence top Twitter advertisers and get them to withdraw advertising on the platform. The letter that the group sent to businesses says that Musk's takeover of Twitter toxifies the social media space and endangers public safety.
What is the Letter About?
The letter exhorts advertisers to make a commitment that they will keep certain standards 'as non-negotiable requirements' if they choose to advertise on Twitter.
"The most important condition that the advertisers must uphold is that Twitter must keep certain banned political accounts off the platform. "Keep accounts including those of public figures and politicians that were removed for egregious violations of Twitter Rules – such as harassment, violence, and hateful conduct – off the platform and continue to enforce the civic integrity policy along with the hateful conduct policy," it says.
There has been strong speculation that Twitter under Musk might withdraw the ban on former President Donald Trump. The letter does not name Trump but the main condition that it wants advertisers to uphold is that banned political accounts must stay banned.
Interestingly, Accountable Tech has been working in association with the outfit Hillary Clinton launched after her loss to Trump in 2016. Accountable Tech is an official partner of Clinton's Onward Together nonprofit since December 2020.
Vicious Attack on Musk
The letter launches a vitriolic attack on Musk, saying that Twitter under him would become a cesspool of misinformation. "Under Musk's management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time where trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low," the letter says.
It also tells the advertisers to punish Musk by discreetly using their ad dollars.
The letter argues that Musk is planning to steamroll the safeguards on the social space and promote extremists who peddle in 'disinformation, hate, and harassment'. "Under the guise of 'free speech,' his vision will silence and endanger marginalized communities, and tear at the fraying fabric of democracy," the letter says.
The report says that Accountable Tech's letter was signed by 25 liberal groups, including Media Matters and the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation.
What is Accountable Tech?
According to Fox News, Accountable Tech is a sponsored project of the North Fund, which is a 'nonprofit incubator closely tied to a billion-dollar dark money network managed by the Arabella Advisors consulting firm'.
The website of Accountable Tech says it is 'fighting back' as social media giants are eroding the consensus reality and pushing democracy to the brink.
Accountable Tech co-founder Jesse Lehrich had served as a spokesperson for Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. "At the time of the announced partnership, Clinton said she'd work alongside Accountable Tech to provide grants, advice and other support to help propel them to the next level," Fox says.
