Elon Musk’s X loses lawsuit against hate speech watchdog
AUS judge in San Francisco on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X Corp against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit group critical of the tech mogul’s handling of hate speech on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Musk’s lawsuit was retaliatory in nature, stating, “X Corp has brought this case in order to punish CCDH for CCDH publications that criticised X Corp–and perhaps in order to dissuade others who might wish to engage in such criticism.”
“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,” Judge Breyer added.
Responding to the decision, X released a statement indicating its intention to appeal the ruling. The setback marks a blow for Musk, who has long positioned himself as a champion of free speech but has faced mounting criticism for his management of harmful content on X since acquiring the platform in October 2022.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, hailed the judge’s decision as a validation of his organisation’s efforts to hold social media companies accountable for their actions. Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer representing CCDH, emphasised that the ruling underscores Musk’s inability to manipulate legal processes to his advantage.
Musk and X have been embroiled in various legal battles, including disputes with former Twitter executives over severance payments and claims of worker harassment at Tesla, the electric vehicle company he leads.
The lawsuit against CCDH alleged that the nonprofit breached its user contract by producing misleading reports that portrayed X as a hub for hate speech and misinformation, causing significant financial harm through a targeted advertising boycott. Judge Breyer acknowledged X’s concerns but noted that CCDH could not have anticipated Musk’s leadership changes at Twitter when it entered into its user agreement.
The judge also dismissed X’s claims against the European Climate Foundation, another nonprofit accused of collaborating with CCDH in data collection.
Musk’s own statements on social media have also drawn criticism, including his endorsement of an antisemitic post on X in November 2023. Despite denying accusations of antisemitism, Musk has attempted to address the controversy, notably by visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp in January.
