On Monday, a U.S. judge dismissed Elon Musk’s case against a nonprofit organization. The organization accused him of permitting an increase in hate speech on his social media site X, which was once known as Twitter.
In San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer declared that it was “evident” that Musk’s X Corp had sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Breyer asserted that Musk disapproved of the organization’s criticism and believed the research would damage X’s reputation and drive away sponsors.
“X Corp has brought this case in order to punish CCDH for CCDH publications that criticized X Corp–and perhaps in order to dissuade others who might wish to engage in such criticism,” stated Justice Breyer.
“It is impossible to read the complaint and not conclude that X Corp is far more concerned about CCDH’s speech than it is its data collection methods,” he stated.
X stated in a statement that it intends to file an appeal.
Musk, the third-richest person in the world and a longtime supporter of free speech, is devastated by the decision.
However, since spending $44 billion to acquire Twitter in October 2022, he has come under fire from civil rights organizations. These organizations criticize him for permitting an increase in offensive and destructive messages, as well as for terminating an excessive number of employees who monitored false material.
In a statement, Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said Breyer’s decision affirms his group’s right “to hold accountable social media companies for decisions they make behind closed doors.” Additionally, he emphasized the importance of transparency in the operations of these platforms.
The ruling, according to Roberta Kaplan, the nonprofit’s attorney, demonstrates that Musk “cannot bend the rule of law to his will.”
In addition, Musk and X face numerous other lawsuits. One alleges that Musk wrongfully withheld severance pay from a former Twitter executive, while another involves a vendor claiming they were not paid.
Tesla, the electric car manufacturer that Musk owns, has been the target of multiple lawsuits alleging that it approved of employee harassment. It has refuted those statements.
MUSK TAKEOVER NOT FORESEEABLE
X claimed that the center had violated the terms of its 2019 user contract. Additionally, they accused the center of using data scraping and selective editing to fabricate stories alleging that Musk had transformed X into a safe haven for extremism, hate speech, and fake information.
X submitted the complaint in July of last year. The complaint claims that the organization planned its “scare campaign” to scare off advertising, resulting in damages of tens of millions of dollars.
X had said that the non-profit could have left Twitter if it didn’t agree with Musk’s policy changes. However, it was obligated by them.
According to Breyer, X’s intention to silence critics was “entirely reasonable from a business point of view.”
However, he said that when the nonprofit joined Twitter, it was not aware that Musk would later assume control. Subsequently, he relaxed the organization’s moderation policies for user content.
Furthermore, Breyer disregarded X’s allegations against the European Climate Foundation, an organization headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, which supports initiatives to lessen climate change.
X had claimed that it was planning to illegally obtain data in collusion with the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
ECF attorney Nathaniel Bach expressed gratitude on behalf of the nonprofit for Musk’s “frivolous” lawsuit being dropped.
Musk’s own remarks have also frequently elicited criticism.
A post on X that claimed that Jews were inciting hatred against White people was praised by Musk in November 2023, claiming that the user had expressed “the actual truth.”
Musk has renounced his antisemitic views. Furthermore, he made an effort to improve his ways, which included a visit to the defunct Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz in southern Poland in January.
The case is in the Northern District of California, U.S. District Court, No. 23-03836; X Corp v. Center for Countering Digital Hate Inc et al.
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