Thread by @emptywheel

I'm writing about some OTHER lies that Michael Shellenberger told in his little Twitter Files thread, but this one deserves far more attention because a whole slew of people claim it shows the FBI was asking for information without legal process.

What it ACTUALLY is is Elvis Chan, the local FBI guy, passing on a request from the NSA about prohibitions on Dataminr sharing the live feed of Twitter information.

But note: EVEN THE SCREENCAP makes it clear this is a request for public Twitter information.

NSA: Can we get public Twitter information from Dataminr or is that still prohibited?

Twitter: It is still prohibited.

That's what the screencaps show.

But all the little Elmo pets seem to believe it would be SCANDALOUS if Twitter allowed the sharing of the data feed with US intelligence.

Except ... know what Elmo's backers, including the Saudis and Qataris, get?

The data feed.

Tl;dr: All these purported civil libertarians are outraged that pre-Elmo Twitter refused to give NSA public information, but they're not at all bothered that Elmo has given THAT SAME INFORMATION to the Saudis and Qataris.

I've written, a bunch, about how the Twitter Files serve as cover for a bunch of authoritarian things that Elmo has done.

But this is a key example: Pre-Elmo Twitter refusing to do something Elmo has done, but worse.

BREAKING! #MattyDickPics is covering up for the way that Elmo is sharing information with Saudi and Qatari intelligence that pre-Elmo Twitter refused to share with US intelligence.

(And he's probably too stupid to realize that.)

The firehose is one of the things included in the "confidential company information" referenced in this story.

washingtonpost.com/technology/202…