Elon Musk’s Anti-Hate Endeavor: Case Against Group Thrown Out
A US judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s social media company, X, against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a group that alleged an increase in hate speech on the platform since Musk took over.
X accused CCDH of using “unlawful” means to access its data.
The judge ruled in favor of CCDH, stating that it was “evident” that Musk’s X Corp was averse to criticism.
X has stated its intention to appeal the decision.
Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of CCDH, celebrated the victory, accusing Musk of engaging in harassment and abuse to avoid accountability for his decisions. He emphasized the importance of the ruling in upholding the right to research, speak, advocate, and hold social media companies accountable.
The lawsuit’s dismissal marks a significant setback for Musk, who has described himself as a “free-speech absolutist.”
Formerly known as Twitter, X filed the lawsuit against CCDH in 2023, alleging that the group manipulated data to create misleading reports about the platform. X claimed that CCDH unlawfully scraped data from its platform to produce its research, violating its terms of service. X accused CCDH of orchestrating a “scare campaign” to drive away advertisers and sought tens of millions of dollars in damages.
However, Judge Charles Breyer determined that Musk’s motive was to punish CCDH for its speech. He criticized X for being more concerned about CCDH’s criticism than its data collection methods. Judge Breyer concluded that X brought the case to punish CCDH for its publications critical of X Corp and to deter others from engaging in similar criticism.
Musk acquired the platform in 2022 for $44 billion and implemented controversial changes, including significant workforce reductions and cuts to content moderation teams. Musk himself has faced allegations of anti-Semitism, which he has denied.
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