WASHINGTON — Musk is in hot water once again. The U.S. X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has threatened to sue a group of independent academics whose findings show an upsurge in hate speech on the site since Elon Musk bought it last year.
On July 20, an attorney for the social media site threatened the Centre for Countering Digital Hate with legal action over the nonprofit’s study on hate speech and content moderation. According to the letter, CCDH’s research articles appear to be designed “to harm Twitter’s business by driving advertisers away from the platform with incendiary claims.”
Musk is a self-described free-speech absolutist who has invited white nationalists and election skeptics back to the platform, which he rebranded X earlier this month. However, the billionaire has been known to be sensitive to critical comments directed against him or his companies.
The center is a non-profit organization having offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. It regularly releases reports on hate speech, extremism, and destructive behavior on social media platforms such as X, TikTok, and Facebook.
Several papers have been published critical of Musk’s leadership, indicating an uptick in anti-LGBTQ hate speech and climate misinformation since his purchase. The letter from X’s counsel noted a June report in which the platform was found to have failed to delete neo-Nazi and anti-LGBTQ content from verified users who violated the network’s guidelines.
Attorney Alex Spiro questioned the researchers’ expertise in the letter and accused the center of attempting to destroy X’s reputation. The letter also implied, without providing evidence, that the center was funded by some of X’s competitors, even though the center has issued critical findings on TikTok, Facebook, and other significant platforms.
Musk is a self-described free-speech absolutist who has invited white nationalists and election skeptics back to the platform, which he rebranded X earlier this month.
“CCDH intends to harm Twitter’s business by driving advertisers away from the platform with incendiary claims,” Spiro wrote, citing the company’s original name.
Imran Ahmed, the center’s founder and CEO, told the Associated Press on Monday that, despite a history of researching the relationship between social media, hate speech, and extremism, his organization has never received a similar response from a major corporation. According to him, the objects of the center’s criticism have often replied by defending their work or vowing to remedy any issues that have been identified.
Ahmed expressed concern that X’s reaction to the center’s work could have a chilling effect, scaring other academics away from exploring the platform. He also expressed concern that other industries would take note of the tactic.
“This is a previously unseen escalation by a social media company against independent researchers.” “Musk has just declared open war,” Ahmed told the AP. “If Musk succeeds in silencing us, other researchers will be next in line.”
Messages left for Spiro and X were not returned on Monday.
It’s not the first time Musk has responded to critics. He suspended the accounts of numerous journalists who covered his Twitter takeover last year. Another user was suspended for tracking Musk’s private plane using publicly available flight data; Musk first promised to keep the user on the platform but later changed his mind, claiming his safety. He also threatened to sue the user before allowing him to return to the platform with limits.
He first stated that he would accept any non-illegal speech on his platform. “I hope that even my harshest critics continue to follow me on Twitter, because that is what free speech entails,” Musk said in a tweet last year.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., expressed alarm over X’s recent threat of legal action, saying the billionaire was attempting to penalize a charity group attempting to keep a major social media platform accountable.
“Instead of attacking them, he should be attacking the increasingly disturbing content on Twitter,” Schiff stated.
SOURCE – (AP)
