{"id":1871749,"date":"2023-03-08T12:56:06","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T17:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ftc-orchestrated-aggressive-campaign-to-harass-twitter-after-elon-musk-takeover-house-panel\/"},"modified":"2023-03-08T13:09:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T18:09:55","slug":"ftc-orchestrated-aggressive-campaign-to-harass-twitter-after-elon-musk-takeover-house-panel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ftc-orchestrated-aggressive-campaign-to-harass-twitter-after-elon-musk-takeover-house-panel\/","title":{"rendered":"FTC Orchestrated Aggressive Campaign to Harass Twitter After Elon Musk Takeover: House Panel"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fftc-orchestrated-aggressive-campaign-to-harass-twitter-after-elon-musk-takeover-house-panel%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1871749&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47-->\n<div>\n<p>On Tuesday, the House panel that is investigating the weaponization by the federal government claimed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). &#8220;an aggressive campaign to harass Twitter&#8221; As part of the its &#8220;unusual response&#8221; Elon Musk acquired the social network.<\/p>\n<p>The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released an interim report highlighting the FTC&#8217;s apparent overreach in making more than\u00a0350 specific demands for information within a period of less than three months after\u00a0Musk took the helm.<\/p>\n<p>According to this report, federal agencies inundated Twitter with requests to disclose information regarding hiring decisions and firings. &#8220;every internal communication relating to Elon Musk.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The FTC requested the names of all journalists granted access to the internal Twitter files, which was particularly concerning for the panel. &#8220;to expose abuses by Big Tech and the federal government.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The FTC also sent 60 letters asking for information on Twitter&#8217;s subscription program. The agency also demAnded to know\u00a0if Twitter was &#8220;selling its office equipment&#8221; and &#8220;all of the reasons&#8221; Why Jim Baker, an ex-FBI official was dismissed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These demands have no basis in the FTC&#8217;s statutory mission and appear to be the result of partisan pressure to target Twitter and silence Musk,&#8221; The report says (<a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/Weaponization_Select_Subcommittee_Report_on_FTC_Harrassment_of_Twitter_3.7.2023.pdf\">pdf<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>A number of Twitter FTC letters were obtained by the committee. The letter was not public, and it said that it had received them recently. &#8220;on instances of the federal government&#8217;s authority being weaponized against U.S. citizens.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5093391\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/localimages\/GettyImages-1247580774-1200x800.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5093391\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/a> Washington&#8217;s U.S. Capitol on March 1, 2023. (Stefani Reynolds\/ AFP via Getty Images).<\/figure>\n<h2>Demands for Journalists&#8217; Names \u2018Inappropriate&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>A House committee report has criticised the FTC for asking journalists to provide information. They called it inadmissible in any context.<\/p>\n<p>It is highlighted that the FTC has been a major contributor to this report. &#8220;campaign to harass Twitter&#8221; Journalists may be less able to write about matters of public interest. This is why the First Amendment Rights should be protected more.<\/p>\n<p>The first issue of &#8220;The Journal&#8221; was published by Matt Taibbi, a journalist.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/infographic-key-revelations-of-the-twitter-files_4986669.html\">Twitter Files<\/a>The FTC&#8217;s first official letter to Twitter was &#8220;&#8221; exposing the government-Big Tech censorship machinery.<\/p>\n<p>According to the panel, it is telling that FTC demanded this first. &#8220;did not concern what private user information may have been at risk.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Instead, the FTC demanded that Twitter \u2018[i]dentify all journalists and other members of the media to whom&#8217; Twitter has granted access to since Musk bought the company.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The FTC named the journalists involved in the initial disclosures, including\u00a0Bari Weiss, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and Abigail Shrier.<\/p>\n<p>Another requirement was to provide any additional information. &#8220;other members of the media to whom You have granted any type of access to the Company&#8217;s internal communications for any reason whatsoever,&#8221; According to the report.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There is no reason the FTC needs to know every journalist with whom Twitter was engaging. Even more troubling than the burden on the company, the FTC&#8217;s demand represents a government inquiry into First Amendment-protected activity,&#8221; According to the report.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is an agency of the federal government demanding that a private company reveal the names of the journalists who are engaged in reporting about matters of public interest, including potential government misconduct,&#8221; The report is ongoing. &#8220;While the FTC&#8217;s inquiry would be inappropriate in any setting, it is especially inappropriate in the context of journalists disclosing how social media companies helped the government to censor online speech.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Musk replied to Twitter about reports that the Federal Agency requested the names of journalists.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is a serious attack on the Constitution by a federal agency,&#8221; Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1633240925429288960?s=20\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5103273\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/localimages\/Twitter-logo-1200x800.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-5103273\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/a> On December 19, 2022, a Twitter logo was displayed outside of the San Francisco offices. (Jeff Chiu\/AP Photo)<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Politically Motivated&#8217; Left Wing Pressure<\/h2>\n<p>According to the report the FTC used Twitter\u2019s consent decree as a pretext for harassing the network. It also received pressure from left-wing groups and individuals. The consent agreement with Twitter, later updated, serves as protection of personal information.<\/p>\n<p>FTC Chair Lina Kan assured the Judiciary Committee in 2022 that she would be taking over the agency before Musk took it over. &#8220;acts only in the public interest&#8221; It is &#8220;confined&#8221; The report is based on its legal authority.<\/p>\n<p>This is not supported by nonpublic information that was obtained from the House panel.<\/p>\n<p>FTC refers to its revised consent arrangement. &#8220;began its barrage of demands&#8221; Just two weeks later, Musk was appointed CEO of Musk&#8217;s company in October 2022.<\/p>\n<p>It sent its first letter, and the agency announced publicly that it had. &#8220;tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern&#8221; And warned that &#8220;revised\u00a0consent order gives us new tools to ensure compliance, and we are prepared to use them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It is noted that FTC actions occurred at the wrong time in the report &#8220;strongly suggests\u00a0that its reliance on the consent decree is a pretext.&#8221; According to the report, Musk was appointed CEO of Twitter in October 2022. The FTC also sent two first letters with more than a dozen demands and Musk&#8217;s name on November 10, 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Twitter did not have to comply with the FTC&#8217;s revised consent agreement until Nov. 22nd 2022.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In other words, the FTC started this heavy-handed compliance monitoring two weeks after Musk acquired Twitter, but two weeks before there was even a program in place to monitor,&#8221; According to the report.<\/p>\n<p>This report states that Left-wing organizations and individuals pressured the federal government, inciting their concerns about Musk&#8217;s intentions to make Twitter the bastion for free speech.<\/p>\n<p>Among the left-wing groups vocal in their objections to Musk&#8217;s purchase of Twitter was an organization called Open Markets Institute, where FTC Chair\u00a0Khan once worked.<\/p>\n<p>According to the report, this organisation was described as &#8220;left-wing political advocacy&#8221; group and urged the FTC to enforce its consent agreements. &#8220;as a vehicle to attempt to thwart Musk&#8217;s efforts to reorient the company&#8221; According to the report, he supports his right of free speech.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The strong inference from these facts is that Twitter&#8217;s rediscovered focus on free speech is being met with politically motivated attempts to thwart Elon Musk&#8217;s goals,&#8221; According to the report.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The FTC&#8217;s demands did not occur in a vacuum. They appear to be the result of loud voices on the left\u2014including elected officials\u2014urging the federal government to intervene in Musk&#8217;s acquisition and management of the company,&#8221; The report is ongoing. &#8220;The FTC&#8217;s harassment of Twitter is likely due to one fact: Musk&#8217;s self-described \u2018absolutist&#8217; commitment to free expression in the digital town square.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the FTC stated that it was investigating Twitter&#8217;s compliance to the consent decree in a statement sent to The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Protecting consumers&#8217; privacy is exactly what the FTC is supposed to do,&#8221; The spokesperson stated. &#8220;It should come as no surprise that career staff at the commission are conducting a rigorous investigation into Twitter&#8217;s compliance with a consent order that came into effect long before Mr. Musk purchased the company.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> &#8230;..<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p> Continue reading more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/weaponization-of-government-panel-says-ftc-orchestrated-aggressive-campaign-to-harass-twitter_5106847.html?utm_source=partner&#038;utm_campaign=conservnewsd\">FTC Orchestrated Aggressive Campaign to Harass Twitter After Elon Musk Takeover: House Panel<\/a>&#8220;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:11px\"><em>&#8220;The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author of the article and not necessarily shared or endorsed by Conservative News Daily&#8221;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Tuesday, the House panel that is investigating the weaponization by the federal government claimed the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). &#8220;an aggressive campaign to harass Twitter&#8221; As part of the its &#8220;unusual response&#8221; Elon Musk acquired the social network. The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":618,"featured_media":1895549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[14451,12594,4087,4249,6945,17911,3653,4250,8636,7018,4253],"class_list":["post-1871749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-aggressive","tag-orchestrated","tag-campaign","tag-elon","tag-ftc","tag-harass","tag-house","tag-musk","tag-panel","tag-takeover","tag-twitter"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/618"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1871749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1895549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1871749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1871749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1871749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}