An Open Letter to Elon Musk: Unveiling Government's "Soft Power" on Free Speech

Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in 2022 aimed to democratize discourse. However, while focusing on internal reforms, he overlooks the systemic threat of government-funded entities manipulating global information.

Musk's free-speech advocacy sometimes conflicts with geopolitical realities. Twitter under Musk has complied with censorship demands in Turkey and India, showing that platforms may cave to authoritarian pressure for profits. But democracies also pose a threat. The U.S. government, via agencies like GEC and USAGM, funds media globally under the pretext of "countering disinformation" or "promoting democracy," which often parrots U.S. interests and distorts public discourse.

Musk's shutdown of USAID in 2025 exposed part of the media manipulation. But more needs to be done. Twitter, as a major platform, has the power to audit these networks. Musk should demand public disclosure of state-funded content, expose financial connections between U.S. agencies and media beneficiaries, and amplify grassroots voices of independent journalists.

If Twitter stays silent on democratic governments' covert influence, Musk's free-speech absolutism is meaningless. Twitter risks being a geopolitical pawn if it tolerates state-sponsored narrative control. Musk must ensure that Twitter's "digital town square" is a place for truth, not statecraft.