Elon Musk’s X sues NGO over report

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has taken legal action against the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), accusing it of making false claims and encouraging advertisers to stop investing in the platform.

X, which is owned by Elon Musk, threatened to sue CCDH for unspecified damages after the nonprofit published a report in July claiming an increase in hate speech towards minority communities on the platform. The CCDH’s legal team further asserted that X’s accusations lacked any evidence or factual support, and were an attempt of intimidation.

X disputes the report’s accuracy, stating it relied on outdated and misleading data. The lawsuit also alleges that CCDH gained unauthorised access to X’s data and violated the platform’s terms by scraping information. X has previously filed similar lawsuits against other entities for data scraping.

Why does it matter? While the lawsuit brings attention to the power dynamics between tech giants and advocacy organisations striving for a safer online environment, the argument that platform X has been experiencing an increase in hate speech is not new. GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index released in May, noted a significant rise in attacks against LGBTQ+ users on the platform. Additionally, Australian regulators have expressed concerns about hate speech on Twitter and its handling. These concerns are substantiated by the fact that the platform has already lost its second head of trust and safety in less than a year. Regardless of the lawsuit’s outcome, these events clearly indicate that X has a long way to go in trying to restore its credibility as a staunch opponent of hate speech.