Thread by @marcowenjones

1/12"US Tech Companies like Twitter probably breathed a sigh of relief when Biden announced that he was not going to directly sanction Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering the murder of Jamal #Khashoggi." #JamalKhashoggi

2/12"...Not because Twitter bares any ill will towards murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but because the Saudi Market and the cult of personality around the Crown Prince, in particular, offer a lucrative revenue stream for the US company"

3/12"Indeed, the amount of Saudi money in Silicon Valley has raised concerns that it will become a 'reputation-laundering machine for one of the least admirable regimes on earth'. And not without good reason, especially considering that MBS chairs the Public Investment Fund"

4/12"it became clear before the release of the intelligence report prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) implicating MBS in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, that pro-MBS forces were still capable of manipulating Twitter to dilute criticism of MBS."

5/12 "Perhaps more alarmingly though, is the use of a legitimate Twitter functions to incentivize the promotion of pro-MBS propaganda." #JamalKhashoggi

6/12 "Through an advertising function, Twitter allows paying customers...to send tweets containing a picture and a 'tweet' button. When someone presses the 'tweet' button, they are instantly able to repost the content posted by the original advertiser"

7/12 "Although this is designed for businesses generating hype around a particular product, it has been utilized as a propaganda tool."

8/12 "On the day of the release of the report, thousands of accounts used this function to tweet the identical message, '"I am Saudi and proud of this great country and trust and have faith in the wise leadership'."

9/12 "While one might think such behaviors run afoul of Twitter's political advertising policy which 'globally prohibits the promotion of political content, they'd be wrong..." #JamalKhashoggi

10/12 "Bizarrely, Twitter has a caveat that states 'cultural customs and local protocols to show allegiance or provide salutations do not fall under this policy.' Even though the stated purpose of the policy is that political messaging reach should be 'earned not bought'."

11/12 "In other words, it's against Twitter's policy to pay money to promote candidates in a democratic society, but promoting dictators in an authoritarian country where no political parties exist is a legitimate revenue stream." #JamalKhashoggi

12/12 "It may seem obvious, but Twitter should not directly profit off attempts to whitewash the brutal killing of journalists on the pretext of respecting 'local protocols and cultural customs" dawnmena.org/profit-for-pro… #jamalkhashoggi