A judge has thrown out a legal case brought by X against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit focused on monitoring hate speech on a platform owned by Elon Musk. The judge’s ruling characterized the lawsuit as an effort to retaliate against the organization for its critical stance toward the company.
Last summer, X filed a lawsuit against the CCDH, alleging that the organization had engaged in “scraping” its platform as a tactic in a “scare campaign” aimed at damaging its advertising revenue. The CCDH had released research asserting that X was neglecting to address reports of hate speech and, in certain instances, amplifying such content
Federal judge Charles Breyer, in his ruling, stated that “this lawsuit is essentially an attempt to retaliate against” CCDH for publishing unfavorable research. He emphasized that X Corporation’s motive in spending resources in response to CCDH’s scraping activities in 2023 was not due to any actual harm to its platform but rather to protect its public image. Breyer’s remarks underscored X Corporation’s intention to punish CCDH for critical publications and potentially deter others from similar actions.
In response to the ruling, CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed expressed satisfaction, stating that the decision “upheld our core rights to conduct research, express opinions, advocate for causes, and hold social media companies accountable for their behind-the-scenes decisions.” Ahmed further emphasized the need for federal transparency legislation that would mandate online platforms to provide data to impartial researchers, highlighting the importance of transparency in addressing issues related to online content and platforms.
It said the non-profit group designed a “scare campaign” to drive away advertisers, and it demanded tens of millions of dollars in damages.But in his decision Judge Charles Breyer said Mr Musk was “punishing the defendants for their speech”.
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”.
Mr Musk purchased the platform in 2022 for $44bn (£34bn) and swiftly embarked on a slew of controversial changes, sharply reducing its workforce with deep cuts to teams in charge of content moderation and other areas.
