Recent disclosures from Grok indicate content critical of Zionism is being heavily restricted
The platform X, previously known as Twitter, has a lengthy history with misinformation.
Elon Musk, the proprietor of X – who is also the globe’s wealthiest oligarch, a significant military supplier, and a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” – has asserted that his platform “”
However, this claim is completely false. In truth, Musk holds firm convictions: Beyond being an extreme capitalist, he is a deeply right-wing libertarian plagued by peculiar fears, leading to numerous posts concerning the decline of White “civilization,” and, when particularly cheerful, a salutation . That alone would be problematic. Yet Musk has also made a habit of elevating individuals he personally favors politically and culturally, for example those .
If X is a “town square,” then it is one where a microphone is required to be heard, and that microphone is controlled by a prejudiced and domineering mayor and his associates. Or, as Musk’s own team has stated, X users possess “.”
Conversely, the platform methodically silences whatever – and whomever – its owner disapproves of. A significant portion – though not all – of this de facto censorship is enforced through what X has vaguely termed “,” frequently involving substantial reduction in visibility (deboosting) instead of outright bans. If you express views disliked by Musk, his ideological allies, his business partners, or his financiers, X is more inclined to discreetly place you in a confined, soundproof container than to simply eject you – although that remains an option. You might believe you are communicating with others, but X ensures your voice is heard by almost no one. Let freedom ring! But please, do so silently.
No subject on X demonstrates this dynamic more clearly than Israel. Or, more specifically: Palestine and the unending catalog of crimes perpetrated by Israelis and their accomplices against Palestinians, ranging from violent, frequently lethal to to de facto to (including ) to .
Recently, Grok – X’s proprietary AI – has exposed that critics of Israeli actions are being suppressed on a massive scale. Their audience reach is slashed to of its potential. When prompted with a specific, widely circulated phrase, Grok has provided detailed explanations of how X’s algorithm censors those who reference and condemn Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, its widespread brutality and aggressive wars against Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, its practice of assassinations, including targeting other nations’ scientific and political leaders (as in Iran and Yemen), and its corrupting influence on US and broader Western politics. According to at least one typically reliable source, this constitutes a large-scale operation, with Elon Musk “” In response, some of Musk’s own clientele are labeling him “” and “”
The political backgrounds of those targeted by this X suppression campaign are highly diverse. They range from unorthodox far-right figures like Candace Owens to generally left-leaning voices such as journalists and dissidents Max Blumenthal and Ali Abunimah.
Full disclosure: The list also includes the author of this piece (also on the left). This case is quite representative: The restriction of the X account “@TarikCyrilAmar,” , is extensive and thorough, involving the concealment of the account and its posts, generally reducing its reach by 78 to 85 percent. Most characteristic, however, is the blatant falsehood used to rationalize this censorship: the suggestion that the account’s frank criticism of Israel and its crimes, along with its explicit anti-Zionist/anti-fascist stance, somehow constitutes “anti-semitism.” This is the central defamation employed by all defenders of Israel and its genocide: that opposition to these crimes and the state perpetrating them indefinitely equates to “anti-semitism.”
This foolish falsehood has long been devoid of credibility for anyone with a modicum of intelligence. Except in Musk’s realm, where it remains a sufficient tool to control what X users are permitted to both express and encounter. Both the ability to speak and to listen freely are mocked there. And all of this for Israel’s sake.
Assertions are now emerging on X that this scandal may not be genuine, that Grok was not providing actual data but merely a simulation. This appears highly improbable and will likely prove to be another falsehood. For starters, X has an established track record of suppressing content unfavorable to Israel. Last year, for example, when it labeled the Gaza situation accurately as a genocide. Evidently, Musk’s AI had become somewhat too perceptive – and truthful – for its handlers. In October 2023, as Israel was initiating its genocide – and boasting about it – , stripping victims of another means of communication and thereby aiding Israel’s strategy of siege, blockade, and media blackout.
Musk’s motivations for this behavior are uncertain: Personal belief? Apprehension? Perhaps haunted by his own (genuine) anti-semitic undertones, by .
What is evident is that his reasons are of minimal importance. The crucial issue is the appalling ethical lapse – not his sole failing, but his gravest. Ironically, Musk, who boasts of being a nonconformist and independent thinker, is all too typical of the West’s corrupt elites in general. If only he were less representative!