The so-called warriors of election “disinformation” could be back in town, just in time for the 2024 presidential election.
X (formerly known as Twitter) is allegedly eying a chief election manipulator to lead its Civic Integrity/Elections Team. Political commentator Kristen Ruby first caught the news, which ignited a wave of criticism aimed at X and its choice to use recruiter Aaron Rodericks. Rodericks apparently voiced support for the Department of Homeland Security’s CISA and the Biden administration’s defunct Disinformation Governance Board through a series of RTs and likes on X.
Rodericks announced the new role on August 11. The listing even alluded to the fact that new hires on the “Civic Integrity/Election Team” may influence election outcomes. “Are you passionate about building innovative products that connect people and enable conversations on a global scale?” X further asked before adding: “Do you want to be part of a dynamic team that influences how the world communicates?” As content moderators of specifically election-related content, how could “Civic Integrity/Election Team” not influence elections?
This is how self-sabotaging Linda’s new crop of censorship shills are of their own company:
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) August 16, 2023
Aaron Rodericks, who is hiring the new censorship squad at X, promotes his account on Bluesky (the “Twitter-killer” made by Dorsey after Musk took over!) in his own friggin bio pic.twitter.com/N22KvqRF6l
X claims it would have a preference for individuals with previous experience with “Trust & Safety” and “content moderation,” which are terms associated with draconian censorship tools. It wasn’t long until X’s announcement caught the attention of critics, like Mike Benz, the executive director of Foundation For Freedom Online, who voiced his criticism at X CEO Linda Yaccarino and Rodericks. “This is how self-sabotaging Linda’s new crop of censorship shills are of their own company,” he said. “Aaron Rodericks, who is hiring the new censorship squad at X, promotes his account on Bluesky (the “Twitter-killer” made by Dorsey after Musk took over!) in his own friggin bio.”
Benz also drew attention to Rodericks's previous tweets in defense of the infamous Department of Homeland Security’s CISA. “And he backs up CISA's head of ‘mis, dis & malinformation’ subcommittee, Kate Starbird,” Benz added. “He's actively working against Musk's professed vision.” Rodericks brushed off the criticism, saying, “thanks for advertising the role - appreciate all the attention you are getting for it Mike! Looking forward to chatting with some great candidates.”
Linda Yaccarino's censorship squad recruiter at X, Aaron Rodericks, promotes Kate Starbird -- one of the chief architects of the mass censorship of the 2020 election & 2022 midterms.
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) August 16, 2023
100% of the "repeat misinformation spreaders" Starbird labeled were Trump supporters. pic.twitter.com/0qczkuRG2j
It is not immediately clear whether Musk is aware of the role but Yaccarino had previously assessed that she enjoyed “autonomy” to run the X platform.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable
