A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X Corp. against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit organization. The lawsuit was filed by X last year after the CCDH documented an increase in hate speech on the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, since it was acquired by Musk in 2022. X claimed that the CCDH’s reports on hate speech on the platform had caused advertisers to withdraw, resulting in financial losses for the company. However, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer dismissed the suit, stating that it was an attempt to punish the nonprofit for its speech.
In response to the court’s decision, X stated that it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. This is not the first time that Musk’s X has faced backlash after hate speech issues were flagged on its platform. In November, several major advertisers pulled their ads from X after a report from Media Matters highlighted their ads appearing alongside content praising Nazis. X subsequently sued Media Matters, accusing the group of trying to drive advertisers away from the platform and destroy the company.
X had sought millions of dollars in damages from the CCDH, alleging that the nonprofit’s reports had led to the loss of ad revenue. However, the judge ruled in favor of the CCDH, stating that X could not seek damages based on third-party actions resulting from the nonprofit’s reports. The judge also dismissed X’s claim that the CCDH had scraped data from its site, as X failed to show how this led to financial losses for the company. The CCDH, a nonprofit organization that publishes reports on hate speech and harmful behavior on social media platforms, has been critical of Musk’s leadership.
Imran Ahmed, the founder and CEO of the CCDH, characterized the lawsuit as a “hypocritical campaign of harassment” by Musk, who claims to support free speech but attempts to silence his critics using his wealth. Ahmed emphasized the need for tech companies to be more transparent about their operations to help the public understand the impact of social media platforms on society. The center’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, stated that the dismissal of X’s lawsuit demonstrates that even wealthy individuals cannot manipulate the legal system to suit their interests.
The ruling in favor of the CCDH is seen as a landmark decision that could empower public-interest researchers to continue holding social media companies accountable for hosting hate speech and misinformation. The organization hopes that the ruling will encourage researchers to intensify their efforts in addressing the harms caused by social media platforms. Kaplan highlighted the importance of standing up to bullies in the age of social media and expressed pride in representing the CCDH in the lawsuit against X.
