In a recent launch event, Mark Zuckerberg and his new platform, Meta, introduced “Threads,” their take on a Twitter-like social media platform. While the American and Western liberal media celebrated the launch, many netizens quickly discovered a disconcerting trend of censorship and suppression of “unapproved thoughts” on this new platform.
As discussions around Meta’s potential for censorship, Wokeism, and its privacy policy spread like wildfire, even notable figures such as Elon Musk and prominent conservatives joined the conversation, expressing their concerns.
Censorship Concerns
Within hours of its launch, thousands of netizens took to social media to voice their frustrations, claiming that their posts on Threads were being systematically removed or censored for expressing “unapproved thoughts” or what some have referred to as “thought-crimes.”
Even NotTheBee, a non-satirical platform similar to The Babylon Bee, tweeted about Meta’s immediate censorship practices, drawing attention to the alarming issue at hand.
Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for his outspokenness, added fuel to the fire by tweeting, “Imagine if all social media were under Zuck’s thumb.”
Musk’s comment resonated with many, further fueling concerns over the potential concentration of power and the implications for freedom of expression.
One verified Twitter user, Emergent Perspective (@_emergent), went on to unveil some intriguing details about Meta’s staffing choices. It was revealed that Zuckerberg had hired a team with ex-CIA members to lead the policy and content-moderation efforts. While the specifics remain redacted, the LinkedIn profile of one team member described expertise in combating misinformation and disinformation, as well as analyzing the impact of influence operations on social movements, security, and democracy. These revelations only fueled suspicions about the platform’s intentions.
Data Privacy Issues
Apart from the concerns surrounding censorship, another bone of contention arises from Meta’s terms and conditions regarding data privacy.
A closer look at Threads’ terms and conditions reveals that Meta has the authority to sell users’ personal information to companies and organizations. Additionally, Meta reserves the right to collect a wide range of data, including financial information, contact details, browsing history, user-generated content, purchases, and even location data.
The Bans on Threads
Based on user reports and complaints, it seems that Threads is implementing bans and censorship on specific topics. The following list provides an insight into some of the things that can potentially get users banned on the platform:
- Posts that criticize or present alternative views on Trans and LGBT issues.
- Posts that expose alleged corruption and crimes of Joe Biden.
- Posts discussing Covid vaccines.
- Posts that challenge or oppose “Woke” ideologies.
- Posts addressing concerns of election fraud and cheating in America.
- Highly critical posts targeting American Democrats.
The Daily Netizen 