A huge slogan board stands in front of the US Capitol building during a protest against government surveillance in Washington DC, capital of the United Sates, on Oct 26, 2013. Photo:Xinhua

In the US, a country that repeatedly claims to be a "defender of human rights," the basic rights and freedoms of the people have been further undermined. The US government's narrative to guarantee the rights and freedoms of its citizens is full of hypocrisy. The US government has become the violator of the legitimate freedom and rights of Americans' well-being.

Elon Musk, Twitter CEO, claimed in his Fox News interview set to air on Tuesday that the US government has "full access" to users' private direct messages, saying knowing that information blew his mind.

Some observers suggest that, given such a move toward Twitter, the US government may be using the same strategy with other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, whose users' private messages are also being violated. 

Even an American as influential as Musk is shocked by the US government's surveillance of user information, demonstrating how deceptive the US government can be. Recently, Washington has groundlessly accused TikTok of violating the privacy of American citizens and threatened to ban the app. How about the US government invading the privacy of the American public? Could it ban the running of the government itself? This fully mirrors the US government's double standards.

The US government and Congress have baselessly suspected that TikTok is passing user data to the Chinese government. However, it turns out that it is what they have been doing with Twitter. It has become a common tactic of the US government to judge others. 

Just as Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday, what Musk said again proves the belief shared by many online that "the US either has done or is doing what it accuses you of." It is increasingly clear that protecting cyber security is just a pretext the US uses to perpetuate its cyber hegemony.

The US government's addiction to surveillance underlines its nature as a hegemon. Even with its scandals exposed, the US remains unrepentant in order to maintain its hegemonic status. The US has no boundaries or limits when it comes to surveillance, making its behavior extremely shameless.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that this could also explain why foreign devices or apps, especially those from China, such as Huawei or TikTok, are not favored by the US government, as Chinese companies will not comply with the US government's inappropriate requests, which is not conducive to US government eavesdropping.

Recently leaked Pentagon documents showed that the US was eavesdropping on discussions between South Korean officials about aiding Ukraine, as well as on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Previously, the PRISM scandal revealed that the US was monitoring the phone calls of European leaders. The US has developed into the world's top surveillance empire.

For a long time, the US government and its relevant agencies have used their technological advantages to conduct large-scale, indiscriminate eavesdropping and spying on the world, whether it is against its own citizens or foreign governments, businesses, and individuals. The US' eavesdropping activities have reached a level of wanton disregard, seriously violating international law and basic principles of international relations, violating the privacy and personal information security of the world's public, and posing a serious threat to the sovereignty and security of various countries.

The US has placed itself on the opposite side of justice and morality by frequently monitoring and eavesdropping, infringing on the sovereignty and civil rights of other countries. As Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, once said, "Do not expect a global surveillance superpower to act with honour or respect."