A lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s social media company, X, against a group alleging increased hate speech on the platform since Musk’s acquisition has been dismissed by a US judge.
X alleged that the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) had engaged in “unlawful” measures to obtain its data.
However, the case was dismissed by a US judge who stated that it was “clear” that Mr. Musk’s X Corp was averse to criticism. X has expressed intentions to pursue an appeal.
Imran Ahmed, founder and chief executive of CCDH, celebrated the win, saying Mr Musk had conducted a “loud, hypocritical campaign” of harassment and abuse against his organisation in an attempt to “avoid taking responsibility for his own decisions”.
“The courts today have affirmed our fundamental right to research, to speak, to advocate, and to hold accountable social media companies” he said, adding that he hoped the ruling would “embolden” others to “continue and even intensify” similar work.
This represents a significant setback for the billionaire, who describes himself as a “free-speech absolutist”.
The corporation, previously identified as Twitter, initiated legal action against CCDH in 2023, alleging that its researchers selectively gathered data to fabricate deceptive reports regarding X.
The lawsuit accused the organization of deliberately and unlawfully extracting data from X, contravening its terms of service, to generate their research.
It claimed that the non-profit group orchestrated a “scare campaign” aimed at deterring advertisers, and it sought tens of millions of dollars in compensation.
But in his decision Judge Charles Breyer said Mr Musk was “punishing the defendants for their speech”.
Judge Breyer said X appeared “far more concerned about CCDH’s speech than it is its data collection methods”.
He said the company had “brought this case in order to punish CCDH for … publications that criticised X Corp – and perhaps in order to dissuade others who might wish to engage in such criticism”.
In 2022, Mr. Musk acquired the platform for $44 billion (£34 billion) and promptly initiated a series of contentious alterations, significantly downsizing its workforce by making extensive cuts to teams responsible for content moderation and other functions.
His own social media posts have also sparked accusations of anti-Semitism, an allegation he has refuted.