Former Scottish First Minister Accuses Elon Musk of Accessing Private Messages

Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister, has leveled an accusation against tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, alleging that Musk accessed his private messages. Yousaf contends this action is part of an effort to “besmirch” his reputation. During an appearance on a Tortoise Media podcast, the former SNP leader asserted that the owner of X “scours” the communications of individuals he perceives as a “threat.” Yousaf stated he was “certain” that the billionaire had obtained access to his private communications on the social media platform. The podcast indicated its understanding that Mr. Musk had previously denied any instance of accessing private messages on X. The owner of Tesla, who has been selected for a cost-reduction position within Donald Trump’s US government, has been engaged in an extended and acrimonious dispute with Mr. Yousaf. This disagreement intensified over the summer months amidst far-right disturbances in England and Northern Ireland. Mr. Yousaf characterized Mr. Musk as a “race baiter” and “one of the most dangerous men on the planet.” In response, the X owner labeled Mr. Yousaf a racist “scumbag,” stating in a post: “I dare that scumbag to sue me.” He further commented: “Legal discovery will show that however big a racist he’s been in public communications, he is vastly worse in private communications.” During an interview on the Elon’s Spies podcast, Mr. Yousaf characterized the remark as an effort to “threaten and intimidate” him. He stated: “I’m certain he has a whole team of people who are now looking at any information they can gather on me and try to use it to besmirch my reputation,” he said. “And they’ll use any nefarious tactics in order to do that.” Mr. Yousaf, the former first minister, indicated that he viewed Mr. Musk’s online post as a “pointed accusation.” He also observed that users had posted comments below, encouraging the X owner to “release” private messages. Mr. Yousaf recounted to the podcast: “I’m thinking, I’ve been on Twitter for a long time, have I made an off-colour joke? Have I said something in a private communication? “So, I thought I better do the belt and braces thing, and as I say there was nothing there, and unsurprisingly so.“But here is somebody who is basically saying to me by the way ‘you better watch out; I’m going to release stuff on you and it’s going to make your life hell’.” Mr. Yousaf reiterated his assertions that the tech entrepreneur, a supporter of Donald Trump, is a racist exhibiting “far-right, white supremacist tendencies.” He further stated: “Elon Musk could have trillions let alone billions and he wouldn’t have enough to shut me up.” X was contacted for a statement. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.