Facts Matter: Musk didn't restore Trump's suspended Twitter account

Elon Musk's on-and-off deal to purchase Twitter actually could be finalized as the billionaire and SpaceX founder has expressed renewed interest in making it happen at a price of nearly $44 billion.

Although it's not a done deal and could fall apart again, some social media users claimed Musk already was in charge and making changes.

"Donald Trump is back on Twitter and he made sure to thank Elon Musk," read an Oct. 9 Facebook post, which included a screenshot of a tweet that appeared to be written by Trump, reading, "Thank you Elon Musk, I'm Back!!"

But that tweet didn't come from the former president, according to PolitiFact. Trump's Twitter account was shut down permanently for violating the platform's policy against inciting violence following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol building. His account remains suspended.

The tweet supposedly sent by Trump came from an account with a name different from the Twitter name the former president used before the ban.

While talking about his plan to buy Twitter, Musk has criticized the platform's policies about banning some accounts and said he would restore Trump's account because the suspension was "a morally bad decision, to be clear, and foolish in the extreme."

Inflation didn't drop drastically

A Twitter user recently shared information that could be good news for consumers, and for the president.

"BREAKING: New data has dropped that inflation has dropped to half of what it was a year ago. That's a Biden Win!" read the Oct. 3 tweet.

But that claim doesn't match the actual data, according to The Associated Press. Although inflation has slowed, prices continue to rise.

Johns Hopkins Carey Business School professor of economics Alessandro Rebucci told the AP there has not been a "decisive turnaround" regarding inflation.

"There is no hard evidence of either inflation falling sharply on a monthly basis, on a quarterly basis, on a semiannual basis, on a yearly basis, or announcement of any substantial revision of official statistics," Rebucci said.

A drop in gas prices slowed the rate of inflation in July and August but most other prices continued to rise and the increase in core prices "outpaced expectations," the AP said.

Judge Cannon still on bench

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's decision to allow Trump's request for a special master has received widespread media coverage and scrutiny from others in the legal profession. By her order, a special master is reviewing documents seized from Trump's Florida residence during an FBI search.

Trump, while president, nominated Cannon for that position in the Southern District of Florida. Since her ruling, some social media posts have claimed Cannon is facing repercussions for her decision.

"Trump's corrupt judge loses her license after major scandal," read a Sept. 30 Facebook post.

An Oct. 1 Facebook post takes it a bit further.

"Trump betrays Judge Cannon and police have just taken her away, she was being used by Trump," the Oct. 1 post read.

But Cannon hasn't been removed from the bench or arrested, according to PolitiFact. The judge's license is in good standing and she has had no disciplinary history since she was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2012.

Cannon's ruling has been frowned upon by some in the law community.

"(Her decision is) an unprecedented intervention by a federal district judge into the middle of an ongoing federal criminal and national security investigation," University of Washington law professor Stephen Vladeck told The New York Times.

Facial data doesn't leave cellphone

Facial recognition technology is used to unlock phones, and Snapchat offers filters for users to change their facial appearance by adding features such as dog ears, sunglasses and mustaches.

Some social media users are claiming there is more to the technology.

"Snapchat filters are a facial recognition database created by the FBI. You don't believe me? Google: Patent US9396354," read an Oct. 3 Facebook post.

That's false, according to USA Today. The technology doesn't collect data that can be used to identify a person.

A spokesperson for Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, told USA Today that data used for the filters doesn't leave the user's device and is never sent to the company's servers.

As for the patent, Milwaukee School of Engineering professor Derek Riley told USA Today it was a "big red flag," and has nothing to do with the FBI database.

The patent actually is for technology that alters a person's image to protect that individual's privacy, he said.

"For example, if a celebrity was on a privacy blocking list, this could be used to obscure his or her face in images taken without permission prior to that image being shared on social media," Riley said.

• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.