US govt paid Twitter millions of dollars to censor info from public: Elon Musk

Twitter CEO Elon Musk claimed that the US government paid 'millions of dollars' to censor information from the public on multiple social media platforms, including Twitter. Musk further pledged on Twitter to resist government incentives that would force him to block some media content.

In response to the series of Twitter Files Tweets from Michael Shellenberger, the billionaire made startling accusations.

Retweeting 'Part 7' of the Twitter Files, Musk posted, "Government paid Twitter millions of dollars to censor info from the public." Not only Twitter, he continued, "but other social media companies as well."

Followiing the tweet, a user asked Musk whether he will make a pledge that he will never accept payments from the US government to supress any information.

"Are you willing to make a pledge that Twitter will never accept payment from anyone, government or otherwise, to censor or suppress any information?" the user asked Musk.

To which, Musk replied: "Absolutely".

The debate over the controversial 'The Twitter Files' saga sparked following Musk's decision to release the new installments behind internal company communication which also included the company's decision to block a media report regarding Hunter Biden's international business operations.

The tenure of the new Twitter CEO has not been short of controversy. Amid the drama surrounding the platform's subscription service, mass layoffs, and resignations, Musk evoked a major controversy in making the staff and users adhere to his vision. He did this while also candidly speaking of mistakes made by the previous regime.

Previously, Musk fired Twitter's deputy general counsel and former FBI general counsel James Baker citing concerns over "[his] possible role in suppression of information important to the public dialogue." In contrast, former United States President Donald Trump stressed that the "censorship cartel" in social media "must be dismantled."

Meanwhile, this week, a Twitter poll constructed by Musk asked users if they wanted him to step down.

Subsequently, following his remarks that he would adhere to the results, the poll ended with those in favour of his resignation.

Musk tweeted that he would 'abide by the results'. In just 12 hours, more than 17 million people participated in the poll, with 57.5% of them choosing 'Yes'.

Musk is looking for a new chief executive officer for Twitter Inc., according to Bloomberg News agency. He has been almost single-handedly running Twitter since he bought it in October for $44 billion. He said early on that he didn’t plan to stay permanently as CEO and he has surrounded himself with a few trusted people, some of whom have suggested they’d be ready to take on what Musk calls a thankless task. “No one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive. There is no successor,” Musk tweeted earlier this week.

Among those that have remained in Musk’s inner circle are Jason Calacanis, an investor and podcaster, and former PayPal Holdings Inc. exec David Sacks. The two were part of Musk’s War Room in the days after the deal closed. Both have making public suggestions about Twitter’s business strategy.

Musk has warned that Twitter is at risk of bankruptcy and instituted a “hardcore” work environment for the remaining workers after a drastic cutback in staff. In his less than two months at the helm, he has spooked advertisers, alienated Twitter’s most ardent creators and turned the service from a reflection of the news of the day into the main topic.