Musk takes aim at Biden’s counter-disinformation board

Elon Musk, who has agreed a $44bn takeover of Twitter, has expressed dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s newly announced Disinformation Governance Board.

The body, part of the Department of Homeland Security, will focus on countering disinformation from Russia and from human smugglers targeting its southern border, the AP reported.

In response to a tweet from a rightwing provocateur comparing the board to the Nazis, Musk simply replied: “Discomforting”. Responding to another tweet calling the “censorship board[‘s]” executive director Nina Jankowicz a “radical leftist”, he responded: “This is messed up”.

Such a response may be expected from a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist”, who said that SpaceX’s Starlink would not block Russian state media in Ukraine “unless at gunpoint” (though Musk’s commitment to free speech on business matters has been questioned by several commentators).

Russian disinformation seems like the most obvious friction point as the invasion of Ukraine continues. It is unclear whether measures in place on Twitter, such as labelling state-affiliated sources, would be seen as infringing on free speech.

It is possible that Musk will find a way to support the board’s approach as Twitter’s owner. His definition of “free speech” seems vague and he has suggested it depends on the legal status of speech.

If the board’s approach to disinformation is framed in terms of suggestions rather than edicts, it is also possible that both sides can avoid losing face. Musk may not have a board to deal with if Joe Biden loses the next presidential election. Or if his deal for Twitter, which still relies on him stumping up $21bn in cash to contribute to the buyout, falls through.

The Internet of (Five) Things

1. Musk sold $8.5bn in Tesla stock after agreeing Twitter deal
Elon Musk’s sale of Tesla stock has reached $8.5bn as he seeks to shore up his position ahead of the planned purchase of Twitter, writes Richard Waters. The electric car maker’s share price has slumped in the wake of news of the deal, although the wider stock market has also faced a sharp fall.

2. Slowest-ever revenue growth at Amazon
Shares at the ecommerce titan have slid as the company posted a worse than expected performance with a $3.8bn net loss in the first quarter, reports Dave Lee, as it grapples with supply chain issues, elevated staffing costs and inflation.

3. Lex on Facebook’s shift to short videos
It is too early to declare that TikTok has stolen Meta’s crown, writes Lex, although the big blue social network’s efforts to push off ByteDance’s prize app come with their own challenges. Breaking into emerging markets may be key, but Meta will have to find a way to balance lower ad revenue

4. Baidu and Pony.ai receive first robotaxi licences from Beijing
Chinese regulators have given permission for 14 cars operated by online search company Baidu and Toyota-backed Pony.ai to traverse a 60 sq km zone in the capital. For Baidu, caught up in Beijing’s crackdown on sectors such as education and gaming, autonomous vehicles offer a potential source of future revenue.

5. Half of Apple suppliers are operating in China’s lockdown-hit areas
Nikkei Asia writers Lauly Li, Cheng Ting-Fang and Shunsuke Tabeta report that half of Apple’s top 200 suppliers have facilities in and around Shanghai, where pandemic-related lockdowns and traffic restrictions are disrupting a swath of business activities.

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