US judge dismisses Elon Musk-owned X's lawsuit against anti-hate group
In a noteworthy turn of events, US Federal Judge Charles Breyer dismissed a lawsuit lodged by Elon Musk's X Corp against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) on Monday. The judge characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to "punish" CCDH for their critique of X Corp. He further suggested that the company's objective was to "punish CCDH for their critical publications about X Corp — and perhaps to deter others" from future criticism.
CCDH's critique of X Corp's approach to hate speech
CCDH, an organization committed to fighting online hate speech, revealed in 2023 that X neglected to manage harmful content shared by 99% of its premium users. The organization also highlighted that the company failed to promptly address over 200 overtly racist and anti-Semitic posts. This critique led to the lawsuit lodged by X Corp, which Judge Breyer has now dismissed.
X Corp's accusations against CCDH and lawsuit dismissal
Reacting to CCDH's critique, X Corp filed a lawsuit in July 2023, alleging that the organization initiated a "scare campaign" aimed at deterring advertisers from the platform. The company asserted this resulted in a loss of "tens of millions of dollars" in ad revenue. However, Judge Breyer dismissed these claims, stating that X Corp failed to "adequately allege loss." He also dismissed accusations that the CCDH unlawfully collected data from X for research purposes.
CCDH and legal representatives respond to ruling
Following the dismissal of X Corp's lawsuit, CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed voiced his approval of the ruling. He stated, "We hope this landmark ruling will embolden public-interest researchers everywhere to continue, and even intensify, their vital work of holding social media companies accountable for the hate and disinformation they host and the harm they cause." Roberta Kaplan, attorney for CCDH, echoed this sentiment: "We are grateful for the district court's careful and comprehensive opinion."
X's history of legal actions and advertiser fallout
Musk has pursued legal action against several organizations reporting on hate speech on X. In November, he also sued Media Matters, a non-profit organization that published a report stating that X displayed ads for major brands alongside pro-Nazi content. This lawsuit is still ongoing. Over the past year, several of X's largest advertisers have withdrawn their support from the platform—a trend not helped by Musk's public statement where he told advertisers to "go f-k yourselves."
