Judge dismisses Musk’s lawsuit against nonprofit researchers tracking hate speech on X

The lawsuit filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. against the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has been dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer. The lawsuit alleged that CCDH researchers violated X's terms of service by compiling public tweets improperly, leading to reports on the increase in hate speech on the platform, which subsequently caused advertisers to withdraw.

Judge Breyer stated in his order that the lawsuit was primarily aimed at punishing the nonprofit for its speech, and dismissed the case. X had claimed that CCDH "scraped" its site for data, breaching its terms of service. However, the judge found that X failed to demonstrate how this scraping resulted in financial losses for the company.

X had sought millions of dollars in damages, attributing the loss of advertisers and ad revenue to CCDH's reports. However, the judge agreed with CCDH's argument that X cannot seek damages for the independent actions of third parties based on the reports or "speech" of the nonprofit.

CCDH, a nonprofit organization with offices in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, regularly publishes reports on hate speech and harmful behavior on social media platforms, including X. It has released reports critical of Musk's leadership, highlighting increases in anti-LGBTQ hate speech and climate misinformation since his acquisition of the platform.

In response to the dismissal of the lawsuit, X stated its disagreement with the court's decision and announced plans to appeal. CCDH's founder and CEO, Imran Ahmed, characterized the lawsuit as a "hypocritical campaign of harassment" by Musk, emphasizing the need for transparency from tech companies.

The dismissal of the suit was hailed by CCDH's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, who asserted that even the wealthiest individuals cannot manipulate the rule of law to their advantage. Kaplan highlighted the importance of standing up to such "bullies," referring to powerful figures who attempt to suppress criticism.

X has faced scrutiny over the rise of hateful content on its platform since Musk's acquisition in October 2022. Several major advertisers suspended advertising on X following reports of their ads appearing alongside material praising Nazis. This development has posed challenges for X as it seeks to regain the trust of advertisers, a key source of revenue for the platform.

26.03.24

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