Double Standards
Ahhh, the current state of politics, technologies, and rich fat cats that not only believe they are above the law, but are treated as such. We’ve seen changes in the technology space for many years now, and the advancing plague of AI is not making it better. Unfortunately, we also have a company that is literally breaking the law, and no one is doing a damn thing about it.
I am going to give you a date: April 6, 2018. Due to the incredible tendency of most Americans to not have any long-term memory, that date probably means nothing to most people. If, however, I point out that April 6, 2018, is the day the United States FBI seized the website Backpage, some people might have an ah-ha moment. They may not remember exactly why it was seized and the owners arrested, but they remember something about it.
Let us take a trip down memory lane. In 1970, in response to the Vietnam War and the Kent State shooting, a man named Michael Lacey started a free newspaper called The Phoenix New Times. The paper relied solely on advertising and was an independent news source outside of the mainstream press and media. In 2004, with the rise in popularity of Craigslist, Jim Larkin, who had joined New Times in 1971, worked with Lacey to create Backpage.com.
To cut a long and vile story short, Backpage, after numerous lawsuits and court cases due to its Adult Services section, was finally seized by the FBI. The Adult Services were being used by sex traffickers and other criminal enterprises. Larkin and Lacey had won many cases based on the CDA Section 230 protections. But in the end, they lost the site and their freedom, and in the case of Jim Larkin, his life. (You can read more about Backpage and similar cases here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Domain_name_seizures_by_United_States )
So why the history lesson?
Namely, because we are seeing a similar problem today, but a totally different response. Elon Musk bought Twitter for an overinflated price and immediately started to turn it into a monster of his own making. The firing of the Safety and Oversight teams, the folks investigating complainants, and most of the developers. All gone in a matter of days. Then, the reactivation of suspended accounts that had been suspended for good reasons. The monster started to move, and the Internet is trying to catch up, and many are still paying a heavy price.
Then came Grok. An “AI” creation designed to give false answers, sway opinions, and create a space where Twitter (now X) users could ask inane questions and feel they were smart when they got answers they liked. Musk himself proved that there is nothing intelligent about Grok when he ordered code changes to alter the types of answers created by the Large Language Model. Since its inception, Grok has been nothing more than Musk’s wet dream of feeding the masses his political and personal opinions and goals.
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That is, until the images started popping up. Grok, under Musk’s guidance, started to answer users' requests with highly modified images of people, from celebrities to anyone. This includes children. Yes, a hyped up fever dream from an egomaniac started to produce images users requested with no regard for decency, privacy, or the law. You see, the laws that took down Backpage and others are apparently NOT being applied to X, Elon Musk, or Grok.
In fact, when complaints were raised, and outrage exploded, Musk put the nasty little toy BEHIND A PAY WALL. And now Musk is reaping a profit from this disgusting pile of sexually addictive code.
So, what is the United States government doing about it?
Nothing. In fact, it has taken the action of the French government to even start any kind of investigation into this crime and others. And make no mistake about it, this is a crime. The creation, possession, and distribution of child sexual abuse material is a felony in the United States. Backpage was seized for providing a platform for sex workers and criminals alike. X is committing a very similar crime to what brought down Backpage, and no one in the US is doing one damn thing about it.
I can only conclude that the reason why Musk, X, and Grok are allowed to get away with this abuse of individuals is that Musk has more money than god and the government’s ear. Musk has made billions off of government contracts and subsidies, while producing very little, and now is allowing a criminal endeavor to happen on his watch, with his platform. And pretty much his only response has been to ignore the uproar, while he counts the money coming in from those little blue checkmarks.
There has been a mass exodus from X, but not nearly enough. The platform continues to allow users through Grok to create the most disgusting imagery from sick minds. There is so much happening in the world right now that one platform being used to create CSAM material is being overlooked. But recently, due to pressure from certain elected officials, we have now learned that Elon Musk, like his orange butt buddy Donald Trump, had a working relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. IF any evidence comes to light that Musk was involved in the actual trafficking of minors, that may be the final nail in the X coffin.
Until that evidence does come out, we are watching a huge double standard play out on the Internet. If nothing is done about Grok, X, and the crimes being committed online, someone owes James Larkin’s family a big, fat apology for pushing him to take his own life. Elon Musk is just as guilty, and right now, he is getting away with it and making bank off of it.
Time to shut it down.
