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Elon Musk-owned social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has begun blocking links to the secure messaging service Signal in posts to the platform.
X users who attempt to post the URL shortener Signal.me that invites users to contact them directly through the messaging service have been blocked by the platform, whether posted through direct messages, posted in profile page descriptions or in public posts.
Users who attempt to post a Signal.me link face a number of errors, including a “message failed” pop-up.
“We can’t complete this request because this link has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially harmful,” reads another failure prompt, while a third, seen by users, says, “this request looks like it might be automated. To protect our users from spam and other malicious activity, we can’t complete this action right now. Please try again later.”
Additionally, those who attempt to click on a Signal.me link already on the platform are greeted with a safety warning link.
“Warning: this link may be unsafe. The link you are trying to access has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially spammy or unsafe, in accordance with X’s URL Policy,” said the X pop-up.
However, users are able to ignore this safety warning.
While X has not explained the reason for blocking Signal, the move follows the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) targeting US federal government agencies in an attempt to cut government expenses. Over 10,000 federal workers have been axed in the process.
Reports suggest that workers from these agencies, including the Department of Education, NASA, USAID and more, have taken to Signal to whistleblow against DOGE as the service is completely private, has end-to-end encryption and stores data on devices rather than on Signal servers. As a result, it’s a popular tool for whistleblowers contacting journalists.
Despite claiming he is a major advocate for free speech and that X is a platform that promotes free speech, Musk has been accused of blocking X accounts that disagree or speak out against him. He also frequently critiques publications and people who call him out.
Instead, Musk has defended the posting of violent material and misinformation.
Last year, the Australian eSafety Commissioner called for media giants X and Meta to take down “extreme and gratuitous violent material” relating to the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney on 15 April.
X, however, released a statement via its own platform on 20 April, vowing to fight the order.
“The recent attacks in Australia are a horrific assault on free society. Our condolences go out to those who have been affected, and we stand with the Australian people in calling for those responsible to be brought to justice,” X’s Global Government Affairs account said in a post on X.
“Following these events, the Australian eSafety Commissioner ordered X to remove certain posts in Australia that publicly commented on the recent attack against a Christian bishop. These posts did not violate X’s rules on violent speech.
“X believes that eSafety’s order was not within the scope of Australian law, and we complied with the directive pending a legal challenge.”
The legal battle ended with the eSafety Commissioner backing down from the chase but maintaining the takedown order.
Additionally, in the lead-up to the 2024 US election, Musk joined X users in posting misinformation on the platform using his Grok AI.
In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Musk posted an image of former vice president Kamala Harris dressed in a red suit donned with the communist hammer and sickle emblem in response to one of her political campaign ads that said: “Donald Trump vows to be a dictator on day one.”
Alongside the image, Musk wrote: “Kamala vows to be a communist dictator on day one. Can you believe she wears that outfit.”
While Musk does nothing to indicate the image is AI-generated and states that it is Harris wearing the outfit, the image is very obviously AI-generated, barely resembling Harris. Additionally, the claim that she vowed to be a communist dictator has no real source and is thus misinformation.
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