A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit by Elon Musk's X Corp. against the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, ruling that the case was about "punishing" the research group for its speech.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has documented the increase in hate speech on the site since it was acquired by the Tesla owner in 2022. X, formerly known as Twitter, sued the nonprofit last year, claiming the center's researchers violated the site's terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets.
In a statement posted to X, the social media platform said it "disagrees with the court's decision and plans to appeal."
It's not the only time Musk's X has sued after a group flagged issues with hate speech on the social media platform.
During November, X filed a lawsuit against Media Matters, claiming that the organization was attempting to "drive advertisers away from the platform and dismantle X Corp."
Later that same month, Musk went on a profanity-laced tirade in retaliation to advertisers who stopped spending on X due to antisemitic and other offensive content, accusing them of "blackmail" and, using explicit language, essentially telling them to leave.
Pursuing millions from CCDH
X had also claimed that the CCDH had "scraped" data from its website, a violation of its terms of service. However, the judge determined that X did not demonstrate "losses based on technological harms" — in other words, the company did not prove how the scraping resulted in financial losses for X.
"A Battle Against Censorship"
In a bold move against censorship, Imran Ahmed, the center's founder and CEO, stood firm against what he called a "hypocritical campaign of harassment" orchestrated by a billionaire who champions free speech but uses his wealth to stifle dissenting voices. Ahmed emphasized the importance of a federal law mandating tech companies to be transparent about their operations, enabling the public to comprehend the significant influence these platforms wield over society.
"This groundbreaking decision should empower researchers dedicated to upholding the public interest to persist and escalate their crucial efforts in holding social media giants accountable for the spread of hate and misinformation, as well as the resulting harm," Ahmed stated.
Roberta Kaplan, the center's legal representative, hailed the dismissal of the billionaire's lawsuit as a testament that "even the most affluent individuals are not above the law."
