Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey encouraged Twitter owner Elon Musk to release the entirety of the “Twitter Files” unedited in a bid for transparency.
Dorsey has previously expressed support for Musk’s move steering the platform away from previous censorship-heavy tactics regarding content moderation.
“If the goal is transparency to build trust, why not just release everything without filter and let people judge for themselves?” Dorsey said in a Wednesday morning response to a previous tweet from Musk. “Including all discussions around current and future actions? Make everything public now.”
If the goal is transparency to build trust, why not just release everything without filter and let people judge for themselves? Including all discussions around current and future actions? Make everything public now. #TwitterFiles
— jack (@jack) December 7, 2022
Last Friday, journalist Matt Taibbi revealed Twitter had colluded with the Biden team during the 2020 Presidential Election by censoring unfavorable content along with other ties to the Democratic party regarding the platform’s speech suppression tactics.
Dorsey was largely criticized for the platform’s previous censorship tactics, though Twitter’s former head of legal, policy and trust Vijaya Gadde reportedly played a larger role in the platform’s censorship policy, according to Taibbi.
Shortly after Friday’s Twitter Files report concluded, Musk said “episode 2” would be released the next day. However, Musk delayed the second batch of Twitter Files on Saturday saying the team needed “another day or so.”
On Tuesday evening, Taibbi addressed the delay, saying “things became complicated” after former New York Times editor Bari Weiss, who was set to participate in a second batch of reports, discovered the intermediary lawyer supplying information for the Twitter Files was former FBI General Counsel Jim Baker.
Baker, who was serving as Twitter’s General Counsel following his 2018 resignation from the FBI, was previously involved in investigations regarding former President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russian-based Alfa Bank and other alleged Russian conspiracies in the Steele Dossier.
The former FBI lawyer reportedly “vetted” information he provided to the journalists without Musk’s knowledge, according to Taibbi. Baker was subsequently fired Tuesday, Musk confirmed.
“In light of concerns about Baker’s possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue, he was exited from Twitter today,” he wrote.
Weiss reportedly discovered Baker’s identity after initial correspondence emails with the lawyer were marked “Spectra Baker Emails.”
“The news that Baker was reviewing the ‘Twitter files’ surprised everyone involved, to say the least,” said Taibbi.
Taibbi confirmed reporters had resumed research of the Twitter Files material on Tuesday, announcing the next installment would be released through Weiss’ Twitter account.
Dorsey co-founded Twitter and served as the platform’s CEO from it’s 2006 launch until his late 2021 departure. Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal replaced Dorsey as the platform’s CEO though was fired shortly after Musk acquired the company in late October.
“‘Twitter is embracing public testing’ is saying everything,” said the former CEO, expressing support for Musk’s “Twitter 2.0” initiative. “I’ve always wanted the company to be the most transparent to exist. This is a step. Everything in here is the right path.”
Dorsey rolled over his 2.4% stake in the company after Musk’s Twitter purchase was finalized.
