The lawsuit between Elon Musk’s X and the Center for Countering Digital Hate has come to a close, with a California judge dismissing Musk’s case against the non-profit organization. Charles Breyer, the U.S. district judge, cited California’s anti-SLAPP law, which allows defendants to quickly dismiss suits that seek to penalize free speech exercises. X and Musk had accused the non-profit of using flawed methodologies to advance incorrect narratives and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Breyer also denied X’s request to re-plead the case, stating that the true purpose of the lawsuit was to punish the defendants for their speech.
In response to the court’s decision, X stated that it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. The case stemmed from a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate that went viral in June, accusing X of failing to remove hateful content posted by Twitter Blue subscribers 99% of the time. The report aligned with other allegations that X has not cracked down on hate speech since Musk acquired the platform and relaxed its content moderation rules. Musk has denied these claims, and his personal lawyer sent a letter to the center in July threatening legal action. The lawyer claimed the report’s findings were inflammatory, misleading, and unsupported, and suggested that the research may have been funded by entities with an ulterior agenda against X.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, denied the accusations made by X’s lawyer and stated that the organization does not accept funding from tech companies, governments, or their affiliates. The lawsuit highlights the ongoing debate around content moderation on social media platforms and the challenges companies face in monitoring and removing harmful speech. Musk’s lawsuit against the non-profit was seen as an attempt to restrict free speech and punish those who report on hate speech and other problematic content on X. The outcome of this case could impact the future of content regulation on digital platforms and the ability of organizations to hold tech companies accountable for their actions.
