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Elon Musk's X pushes Trump tags on all US users (www.salon.com)

submitted 4 months ago by JRepin@lemmy.ml to c/technology@lemmy.world

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18147280

X, the social media platform owned by Trump megadonor Elon Musk, is promoting Trump campaign-curated content to all U.S. users, regardless of whether they have opted out of Trump-related content.

On the platform formerly known as Twitter, banner ads for the Trump campaign donning the #Trump2024 tag appear for all U.S. users, even those who’ve blocked words, topics, and hashtags related to the candidate or his campaign or muted the advertiser.

Additionally, the #MAGA tag displays an edited image of the former president from his attempted assassination and the #Trump2024 hashtag displays an American flag.

It is unclear whether the Trump campaign paid for the images on the #Trump2024 and #MAGA tags, though an advertisement for the tag on the site’s trending page reads “Promoted by Team Trump.” As Mashable noted, it is the first time the platform has enabled the image feature to promote a specific political candidate.

Clicking the Trump2024 tag also prompts American flag graphics to flood the screen.

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[–] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If any private entity spends enough money on a candidate, it's an election contribution.

Election contributions have legal requirements. Musk / Twitter aren't complying with those requirements.

Twitter sells enhanced hashtags and placement on the top of the trending list to advertisers. Now they are donating ad slots to Trump.

Of course, the real question is whether or not anything will be done about it. Churches endorse political stuff all the time, and legally they are supposed to lose their tax exemption over it, but as we all know a Church can straight up call for mass murder of LGBT people, and they don't see any consequences at all...

[–] OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 months ago

Nah, you're forgetting how fucked the US is.

Citizen's United mean it's absolutely fine for billionaires to spend as much money as they like supporting geriatric fascists, providing they don't ask the fascists how they'd like the money spent.

Providing Elon keeps going off half-cocked and making decisions on his own and isn't following instructions from the trump campaign this is all perfectly legal.

And even if he is acting on orders, how could you ever prove it?