#1891 - Duncan Trussell

Duncan Trussell (0:04)

The Joe Rogan Experience.

Duncan Trussell (0:18)

I don't think this is gonna work.

Oh my God, I can't see. I can't, like, I can't see at all. I don't know how you're supposed to see out of that.

Duncan Trussell (0:33)

It's a deadly outfit.

Duncan Trussell (0:36)

I guess I'll just put that on when I want to say something incriminating.

Duncan Trussell (0:39)

Yeah. What do you mean?

Duncan Trussell (0:41)

Well, the thought police. So pull up that article, Jamie, at the beginning of this podcast. We should probably go right into this.

Because apparently the Department of Homeland Security and Twitter were working together. Are we on?

Duncan Trussell (1:00)

Yeah.

Duncan Trussell (1:00)

I don't hear. There we go. The Department of Homeland Security was... They had a plan to police information, and they were working with Twitter in some fashion.

Like, look at this. Quietly broadening its effort to curve speech, it considers dangerous. What does that mean?

Duncan Trussell (1:20)

I don't know.

Duncan Trussell (1:20)

An investigation by The Intercept has found years of internal DHS memos, emails, and documents obtained via leaks and an ongoing lawsuit, as well as public documents, illustrate the expansive effort by the agency to influence the tech platforms. The work, much of which remains unknown to the American public, came into clear view earlier this year when DHS announced a new Disinformation Governance Board.

Duncan Trussell (1:50)

Good Lord.

Duncan Trussell (1:50)

A panel designed to police misinformation, information spread unintentionally. Disinformation, information spread internally.

Intentionally, excuse me. And malinformation, factual information, shared typically out of context with harmful intent. Malinformation is a weird one.

Duncan Trussell (2:11)

Malinformation? Malinformation?

Duncan Trussell (2:12)

Yeah, because it's factual, but it's shared typically out of context.

Duncan Trussell (2:16)

Out of context with harmful intent. That's where you're like, look, you don't understand why we mowed down those reporters with a chopper. It's out of context. You can't just show the video.

Duncan Trussell (2:29)

While the board was widely ridiculed, immediately scaled back, and then shut down within a few months, other initiatives are underway as DHS pivots to monitoring social media. And now that its original mandate, the War on Terror, has been wound down.

So that's been wound down, apparently.

Platforms have got to get comfortable with government.

It's really interesting how hesitant they remain. Microsoft executive Matt Masterson, former DHS official, texted Jen Easterly. Look at that. Platforms have got to get comfortable with government.

Duncan Trussell (3:04)

What does that mean?

Duncan Trussell (3:05)

I don't know. Tim Poole sent me this this morning.

I didn't get a chance to read. I was in the gym.

Duncan Trussell (3:10)

Look, you got to get comfortable with government.

Duncan Trussell (3:13)

Yeah, that's what I've been saying.

Duncan Trussell (3:14)

Just get comfortable.

Duncan Trussell (3:15)

Yeah, why aren't you comfortable?

Duncan Trussell (3:16)

Cozy up. Why aren't you comfortable? Put on some sweatpants. Cozy up.

Wow, that's creepy.

I mean, I guess we all kind of suspected it though, right? It's not like anybody. Is that a shocker?

Duncan Trussell (3:33)

Well, what Tim Poole said is that Twitter was working with them.

That they, I guess, they weren't being honest about it. They were working with them. What were you telling me? That Jimmy Kimmel tweeted something and tried to delete it?

Duncan Trussell (3:47)

Yeah, it looks like I could be wrong about this, but Kimmel was pissed at Musk.

Duncan Trussell (3:53)

Why?

Duncan Trussell (3:54)

For buying Twitter.

Duncan Trussell (3:55)

What does he mad about?

Duncan Trussell (3:57)

So basically, a lot of people seem to be really upset with Elon for buying Twitter because Elon is saying that he's not going to censor Twitter anymore. He's going to let all the banned people get back on, apparently. It's like they're trying to figure it out, how to do it. And so this is upset a lot of people who were happy with the idea that it was being hyper-moderated in a way, I think, that fits in with their politics. That was the idea. So their team was in control for a second, and now somebody... You know what it reminds me of?

It's like when a new Booker shows up in a comedy club.

And all the comics start talking shit. It's scary.

Duncan Trussell (4:50)

It has been interesting over the years to watch you blossom from the electric car guy into a fully formed piece of shit. Wow.

Duncan Trussell (4:58)

And look, see, it says this tweet was deleted by the tweet author.

Duncan Trussell (5:02)

Learn more.

Jamie (5:03)

He was replying to a tweet that Elon tweeted.