In the latest installment of the ‘Twitter Files,” disclosures of internal documents showing censorship efforts on the social media platform have exposed another disturbing instance: the FBI has pushed Twitter to censor journalists in service of Ukraine.
Independent investigative journalist Aaron Maté served as the delivery vehicle for this installment of the Twitter files. Maté revealed the information in an extended Twitter thread and an article on his Substack.
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Maté introduced the story by specifying Ukraine’s direct hand in the censorship moves.
“In March 2022, an FBI Special Agent sent Twitter a list of accounts on behalf of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Ukraine’s main intelligence agency. The accounts, the FBI wrote, “are suspected by the SBU in spreading fear and disinformation.” In an attached memo, the SBU asked Twitter to remove the accounts and hand over their user data.”
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Twitter immediately agreed to investigate any accounts for “inauthenticity” of information regarding Ukraine but raised concerns about including “American and Canadian journalists” and even Maté himself on Ukraine’s censorship list.
In response to the FBI, Twitter agreed to review the accounts but raised concerns about its inclusion of “American and Canadian journalists (e.g. Aaron Mate).” pic.twitter.com/VOzzL3Vz9W
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) June 7, 2023
Twitter indicated, however, that if any covert ties between journalists and foreign governments could be demonstrated, they’d be open to censoring.
This latest installment in the Twitter files marks one of the most overt requests for censorship the FBI has made of the platform. The FBI’s request came through on March 27th, 2022 email from FBI Special Agent Aleksandr Kobzanets, the Assistant Legal Attaché at the US Embassy in Kyiv, sent to two Twitter executives.
“Thank you very much for your time to discuss the assistance to Ukraine,” Kobzanets wrote, according to Maté. “I am including a list of accounts I received over a few weeks from the Ukraine Security Service. The SBU suspects these accounts in spreading fear and disinformation. For your review and consideration.”
The SBU claimed that its targeted accounts had been “used to disseminate disinformation and fake news to reflect events in Ukraine inaccurately, justify war crimes of the Russian authorities on the territory of the Ukrainian state in violation of international law.”
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They said such censorship was justified to “stop Russian aggression on the information front.” They requested the platform “take urgent measures to block these Twitter accounts and provide us with user data specified during registration.”
Users on Twitter railed against the scandal and praised Maté for breaking the story.
So much corruption in the bureau it’s ridiculous.
— m. s. hawkins (@Thahawk57) June 7, 2023
This is the same stuff the did in early WMD days ☹️
— Nicole De Graff 🏫 (@MamaNikki2007) June 7, 2023
Congratulations. Badge of Honor.
— #IAMRESPONSIBLE (@kathleen4you2) June 7, 2023
We're no longer worried about America and only care about Ukraine. We have always been at war with Russia. We have never been to war with Syria.
— Out Of Service 📻 (@OutOfServiceKM4) June 7, 2023
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