Elon Musk joins outcry over claims a government unit collaborated with businesses to quell lockdown criticism
Elon Musk joins outcry over allegations a UK government unit collaborated with social media companies to quell criticism of Covid lockdowns
- A report claims CDU was used during the pandemic to curb critics of the lockdown
Elon Musk has joined the outcry over allegations that a UK government unit collaborated with social media companies to quell criticism of Covid lockdown policies.
A report alleges that the Counter-Disinformation Unit (CDU), which is leading the government’s response to online “threats of disinformation,” was used during the pandemic to curb critics of the lockdown.
According to the report in the Daily Telegraph, documents disclosed under Freedom of Information and data protection requests showed that the activities of prominent critics of the Covid policy were being secretly monitored.
Elon Musk (pictured) joins outcry over allegations that a UK government unit collaborated with social media companies to quell criticism of Covid lockdown policies
In April 2020, Mr. Musk joined an anti-lockdown protest by tweeting, ‘Free America now’. He later clarified this by saying shops and businesses should “reopen with care and appropriate protection.”
Twitter and Tesla owner Mr Musk, 51, described this alleged use as ‘appalling’.
But a government spokesman said: “The unit has never monitored the activities of individuals and has a general ban on referring journalists and MPs to social media platforms.”
In April 2020, Mr. Musk joined an anti-lockdown protest by tweeting, “Free America now.” He later clarified this by saying shops and businesses should “reopen with care and appropriate protection.”