Update: This post has been updated to reflect that it was Kristen Ruby, Author of The Ruby Files and President of Ruby Media Group that first noticed X was seeking to hire a disinformation specialist.
(Reclaim The Net) X has distributed a call for applicants to fill new roles tasked with combating disinformation amidst an approaching 2024 election. This move will raise eyebrows among advocates of freedom of speech, particularly considering what happened when this was done with the 2020 election and since Elon Musk had famously bought Twitter with the pledge to honor the values of free speech and had initiated the release of the Twitter Files, detailing instances of election censorship from the past.
This development, however, first quote-tweeted by Kristen Ruby, raises the question of hapless users being coerced by external forces – state authorities or Big Tech corporations.
Critics like Foundation For Freedom Online’s Mike Benz, who posted about this on X following Kristen Ruby’s tweet (@sparklingruby), have tagged these positions as creating covert channels for censorship, exacerbating the threat to freedom online.
The channels being tapped for recruitment further spur speculation about the true motives behind these positions.
