X (previously Twitter) sues group accusing Elon Musk of permitting hate speech to thrive

Elon Musk’s X – previously often called Twitter – is suing a hate speech watchdog that has accused its billionaire proprietor of overseeing an increase in abuse and disinformation on the platform.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has been an everyday critic of Musk‘s stewardship since he purchased the corporate for $44bn (£38bn) last October.

It has reported a rise in hateful language, hit out on the dropping of COVID misinformation policies, and criticised the placement of adverts next to posts from accounts like that of Andrew Tate.

The social media agency, recently renamed X, has mentioned any coverage modifications are about defending “free expression” and claims most posts are “healthy”.

In a weblog publish, the corporate accused the CCDH of creating “misleading claims” in a bid to encourage advertisers to cease investing and “prevent public dialogue”.

It additionally claimed the group had violated its phrases of service by improperly accessing knowledge from the positioning.

“That’s why X has filed a legal claim against the CCDH and its backers,” the weblog publish added.

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Musk ‘attempting to silence criticism’

The firm’s lawsuit has been filed in California, based on The Washington Post, alleging the non-profit organisation “engaged in a series of unlawful acts” to “improperly gain access” to firm knowledge.

It is searching for unspecified damages.

X’s transfer got here after the CCDH accused Musk’s group of attempting to intimidate and silence the group following a report alleging his platform “fails to act on 99%” of hateful posts from accounts subscribed to its X Blue service.

CCDH chief government Imran Ahmed mentioned: “Elon Musk’s actions represent a brazen attempt to silence honest criticism and independent research, in the desperate hope that he can stem the tide of negative stories and rebuild his relationship with advertisers.”

Musk commented on the row on X, posting: “They should save their words for the jury.”

Over the weekend, the world’s richest man sparked controversy by reinstating the account of Kanye West.

The rapper was suspended in December after he tweeted a picture of a swastika, hours after he praised Hitler and made antisemitic jokes in an interview with the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Less than a fortnight later, Musk dissolved Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council, which was made up of volunteers to handle such issues on the platform.