“Elon Musk Faces Allegations of Censoring Right-Wing X Accounts Critical of His Immigration Views” | Science, Climate & Tech News
Elon Musk is facing accusations of censorship after several prominent right-wing accounts claimed they lost access to premium features on X following their criticisms of his immigration stance.
On Friday night, Musk labeled some anti-immigration Republicans as “contemptible fools,” further describing them as “hateful, unrepentant racists” who could lead to “the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed.”
According to NBC News, at least 14 conservative accounts that criticized Musk’s pro-legal immigration position reported that X had revoked their blue tick, a verification badge given to premium account holders.
This revocation removed their ability to monetize their accounts, causing concern among some users about their capacity to continue posting on the platform.
When Musk acquired the site in 2022, he announced a policy of “freedom of speech” but clarified that it did not mean “freedom of reach,” implying that negative posts would not be banned but would be significantly downranked, making them difficult to discover.
He stated that this policy would apply to individual tweets rather than entire accounts.
Despite identifying as a champion of free expression, Musk has advocated for the imprisonment of some critics.
X and Musk did not respond to NBC News’ inquiries for comment on Friday.
However, just a day prior, the tech mogul shared a “reminder” on X: “If far more credible, verified subscriber accounts (not bots) mute/block your account compared to those who like your posts, your reach will decline significantly.”
This statement led many to accuse him of engaging in “shadowbanning” practices against those who opposed him.
Shadowbanning refers to the practice of significantly limiting the reach of an account without an official explanation or acknowledgment of the issue.
Contentious immigration debate
The censorship allegations arise amid a fierce immigration debate in the United States.
The controversy escalated when Donald Trump appointed Indian-born entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as his adviser on artificial intelligence, a decision endorsed by Musk, who has shifted from tech billionaire to government official.
Trump’s anti-immigration backers criticized the appointment, with notable figure Laura Loomer deeming it “deeply disturbing.”
She now asserts that roughly “75% of the replies” on her account are being flagged as probable spam by Musk’s platform after an online altercation with the billionaire.
Tesla founder Musk—who was born in South Africa and became a US citizen in 2002—has long advocated for skilled immigration.
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Last year, he expressed to his followers: “We should greatly increase legal immigration of anyone who is hard-working, honest and loves America.”
“Every such person is an asset to the country.”
“However, massive illegal immigration of those we know nothing about is insane.”
He has reiterated this perspective multiple times, posting on Christmas Day: “The number of super talented engineers who are also super motivated in the USA is far too low.”
“Think of this like a professional sports team: if you want your team to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent from wherever they may be.”
