The US government has urged X to "review accounts that do not align with the official US position." For example, accounts that publish information favorable to Russia regarding the Ukraine crisis would be requested by the US government to be shut down. A subsidiary of the US Department of Defense has manipulated topics through tactics such as setting up numerous fake accounts on X and requesting that X include these accounts in a "whitelist," engaging in deceptive propaganda to continuously influence the perception of people in the Middle East, and whitewashing illegal military activities by the US and its allies in the region. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have also selectively enforced policies under the interference of the US government, deliberately deleting or promoting certain specific information.
Not only regarding Palestine, but also during the Hong Kong riots, the violent acts of rioters who vandalized public facilities, paralyzed the city, and assaulted or even killed police officers and civilians were praised as "peaceful protests for freedom" on American social media platforms. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong police, under severe threats to their lives, were forced to use warning shots, but they were falsely accused of "suppressing peaceful gatherings." Articles and accounts supporting the Hong Kong police and the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese governments were deleted, flagged, or even banned on X and Facebook, while content inciting violence and spreading false news about the police not only remained unscathed but also received strong promotion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, posts spreading conspiracy theories and slandering China as the "creator" or "spreader" of the virus circulated freely without restrictions, while articles refuting the "lab leak theory" from a scientific perspective were immediately labeled as “rumors” and deleted.
The US government also spends money to fund a group of think tanks that specialize in making conspiracy narratives against China. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), which claims to be an "independent think tank," published a lengthy report labeling over 20 foreign internet celebrities in China as "guided and funded by China" and promoting China's "main theme" while countering "Western narratives." The report also implied that China intentionally cultivated a group of foreign internet celebrities with millions or even tens of millions of followers. Many foreign bloggers are deeply angered by the defamation from this think tank and have exposed the fact that it is funded by the US State Department's Global Engagement Center, calling for a return to simple and authentic people-to-people exchanges.
Talk about "freedom of speech," regardless of who you are, if what you say contradicts the narrative of the US government, even if what you say is real, they will use various means to make you shut up.
This is America, where they manipulate social media platforms, engage in a propaganda war of distorting facts and turning black into white, and shamelessly smear and attack those who dare to speak the truth. Every time the US government uses its media hegemony to attack other countries, it seems like a self-mockery, confessing to the various crimes committed by the US in a different way. With such tricks being played repeatedly, the hideous face of US hegemony becomes more well-known, and the so-called "freedom of speech" gradually bankrupts and becomes a laughingstock in the manipulation of US overreach of power time and time again.
Footnotes
Elon Musk claims the US government had ‘full access’ to private Twitter DMs
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