twitterlogoTwitter has rebuffed claims by a conservative media outlet that its staff monitor users' private data, including direct messages sent over the social network (via TechCrunch).

Earlier this week, Project Veritas, which hosts sting operation-style videos produced by self-proclaimed "guerrilla journalist" James O'Keefe, posted footage that appears to show Twitter engineers admitting that teams of employees access users' data.

In one brief clip, a senior network security engineer appears to say that the social media company would be able hand over President Donald Trump's data, including deleted tweets and direct messages, to the Department of Justice, subject to a subpoena.

Last week, Twitter criticized Project Veritas in a public statement for its "deceptive" and "selectively edited" report.

We deplore the deceptive and underhanded tactics by which this footage was obtained and selectively edited to fit a pre-determined narrative. Twitter only responds to valid legal requests and does not share any user information with law enforcement without such a request.

Referencing its privacy policies and terms of service which explain how it holds and stores information that users choose to share, Twitter said it is "committed to enforcing our rules without bias and empowering every voice on our platform, in accordance with the Twitter Rules".

Project Veritas has been criticized in the past for using underhand and deceitful methods in its investigations. In November last year, one of its undercover employees was caught trying to bait reporters at The Washington Post by falsely claiming to be a sexual assault victim of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore. 

Twitter regularly reveals the number of legal requests it receives and responds to in its biannual transparency report. The company received 2,111 government information requests in the U.S. and produced at least some information for 77 percent of them during the period between January 1 and June 30, 2017.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Twitter

Top Rated Comments

T Coma Avatar
81 months ago
Way to report the whole story MR!

What the undercover reporting here shows is Twitter employees describing "shadow banning" or deceptively silencing users who have political views that don't fall in line with leftist Jack Dorsey and Silicon Valley in general. In addition, these twitter folk reveal the clearly uneven application of outright banning, based on political leaning or affiliation and the bots used to seek out "rednecks" (their term.)

But as is the trend, Twitter protests against the method by which they were exposed, and can do nothing to refute the findings.

Okeefe and his people have been doing a thorough and transparent job for years, exposing this dangerous kind of hypocrisy. They publish all the info and evidence; this isn't the typical selective, super-edited, out-of-context style "evidence" you see in a standard media agenda-driven "expose'."

Watch the videos and listen to the audio yourself and then make your own conclusions. I see the interwebs are already in panic mode trying to spin this story.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adam Warlock Avatar
81 months ago
Referencing its privacy policies ('https://twitter.com/en/privacy') and terms of service which explain how it holds and stores information that users choose to share, Twitter said it is "committed to enforcing our rules without bias and empowering every voice on our platform, in accordance with the Twitter Rules".
Heh. The same "Twitter Rules" that can be changed on a whim to suit the company's needs and that are designed specifically for the company's benefit and not the consumer's legal rights. Do terms & conditions even have any real legal weight?

That aside, this article seems more a hit piece on this Project Veritas than any attempt at investigating whether or not Twitter actually snoops on customers.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gutwrench Avatar
81 months ago
Way to report the whole story MR!

What the undercover reporting here shows is Twitter employees describing "shadow banning" or deceptively silencing users who have political views that don't fall in line with leftist Jack Dorsey and Silicon Valley in general. In addition, these twitter folk reveal the clearly uneven application of outright banning, based on political leaning or affiliation and the bots used to seek out "rednecks" (their term.)

But as is the trend, Twitter protests against the method by which they were exposed, and can do nothing to refute the findings.

Okeefe and his people have been doing a thorough and transparent job for years, exposing this dangerous kind of hypocrisy. They publish all the info and evidence; this isn't the typical selective, super-edited, out-of-context style "evidence" you see in a standard media agenda-driven "expose'."

Watch the videos and listen to the audio yourself and then make your own conclusions. I see the interwebs are already in panic mode trying to spin this story.
Very well said.

Project Veritas has been criticized in the past for using underhand and deceitful methods in its investigations.
I guess Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes, and Chris Hanson used “underhand [sic] and deceitful methods in its investigations” too.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
81 months ago
I simply do not believe them

They aggressively censor non liberal views. Shadowbanning is real.

Jack Dorsey is another disgusting tech CEO. Haven’t we learned, repeatedly, male feminists shouldn’t be trusted?

They are the most depraved on average
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
81 months ago
You'll never know unless you follow a few mainstream media reporters or columnists for a few days, and read the replies to their retweets. It's enlightening. And can be sickening even if you turn on filters.
Sorry, but this sounds like some sentiment from Oprah at the Golden Globes, met with a standing ovation from liberal Hollywood elite: "the press is under siege"

Give me a break. They've been lying to us nonstop since before the election, claiming HRC has a 99% chance of winning (no, simply no), gaslighting us,

They deserve criticism when on a public forum and opening themselves up to the public, spouting lies to serve their agenda. In my view, its just an agenda that resonates well with you.

hashtag fake news replies isn't harassment
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
81 months ago
Please stop with your right wing claims.
Project Veritas is not biased and has a right wing agenda.

They are not balanced to reality-just to their myopic agenda.
You're hearing inside info from Twitter engineers, who cares what their bias is? How much more direct would you like it? You want an official PR statement from Twitter saying "Yeah we do messed up crap" -- not gonna happen.

I assert you're being biased by not examining the facts, and what was said, and who said it, simply because you don't like Project Veritas
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...