This weekend, Twitter made its algorithm open source, enabling users to sift through the company’s previously secret code. New information about Twitter’s blacklisting of accounts and subjects has emerged as a result of the investigation.
One Twitter user found a section of code that alluded to Twitter’s blacklisted subjects. The blacklist was not published as part of the algorithm’s open sourcing because it is a database file rather than a piece of code.
The code does show, however, that a user who talks about banned subjects on the platform will be de-ranked by the algorithm, resulting in fewer people seeing and reacting to their post.
The algorithm will also check for offensive terms in usernames and downrank the person accordingly.
According to Breitbart News’ Lucas Nolan, the disclosure also disclosed what looks to be a tag that marked government demands to alter Twitter’s algorithm in some manner.
In a tweet on Friday, Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk revealed the open-sourcing of Twitter’s algorithm, admitting that some of the disclosures could be “embarrassing” for the business.
“An acid test is that third-party observers should be able to predict what will most likely be shown to users with reasonable accuracy,” Musk said. “There will undoubtedly be many embarrassing issues discovered, but we will fix them quickly!”
Musk, as CEO, has not backed away from exposing Twitter’s previous wrongdoings. He granted journalists access to Twitter’s internal communications, which resulted in the release of the “Twitter Files,” which cast more light on the media and the deep state’s attempts to push the business to suppress domestic political opponents.
