Twitter has changed markedly ever since it fell into the hands of billionaire Elon Musk. Despite previously stating that the platform will not “amplify or recommend government accounts” that limit access to free information and are engaged in conflict, the Russian government’s accounts of the Kremlin, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries began to appear once again in Twitter’s recommendation and search feeds.
The account restrictions, which were put in place when hostilities broke out between Russia and Ukraine, have been lifted on Twitter. Twitter’s search results, timeline and recommendation tools are showing official Russian authority accounts, including Vladimir Putin’s presidential account, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs account and its UK Embassy account.
The social media platform also appears to no longer be limiting the reach of both Russian and Chinese government-owned media organizations.
Tweets from the Russian government appeared in the algorithmically-driven “For You” feed of new members, regardless if they are being followed or not. This is seen as a contradiction to the “free speech” advocacy promoted by the new Twitter owner, as social media has been a key part of the Kremlin’s misinformation campaigns.
A study of Twitter’s source code also showed that its algorithm downranks posts related to the Ukraine crisis, amid Starlink’s satellite internet system's crucial role in Ukraine’s defense from Russia’s invasion.
As of the moment, Twitter’s “what’s happening” feature is not operating as it had before. It has become harder to find breaking news, with many journalists either leaving the platform or “quiet quitting” due to Musk’s openly hostile policy toward the media. The lack of proper content curation and the designation of verified accounts have also drawn journalistic ire.
