Enlarge image
Billionaire Elon Musk: Free speech as a marketing strategy
Photo: Sergei Gapon / AFP
A federal court in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk's Company X against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The nonprofit organization had documented an increase in hate speech on the platform following the billionaire's takeover.
In court, lawyers for The company also demanded damages because the publications had caused millions of dollars in damages. Since Musk joined X, many advertisers had switched their campaigns to X.
Complaints as punishment
On Monday, Judge Charles Breyer not only dismissed the claims in the matter, but also stated in his decision that, in his eyes, it was an abusive lawsuit. So-called SLAPP lawsuits serve to cause the greatest possible effort and costs, even if the defendants are ultimately right. The judge agreed with the CCDH's argument and stated that X could not claim damages for the independent actions of third parties.
The CCDH is a non-profit organization with branches in the USA and Great Britain. It regularly publishes reports of hate speech, extremism or harmful behavior on social media platforms such as X, TikTok and Facebook. The organization has published several reports criticizing Musk's leadership and noting a rise in hate speech and misinformation about the climate crisis since he joined.
In a post on its own platform, X stated that it disagreed with the court's decision and planned to appeal. Elon Musk repeatedly presents himself as a radical supporter of free speech and has unblocked many accounts of people who were previously blocked on Twitter. Most recently, the account of the extremist “Identitarian Movement” was reactivated.
Musk's efforts to put the short message platform on a financial footing other than advertising revenue have so far been largely unsuccessful. In addition to advertising revenue, according to media reports, usage figures also collapsed, although Musk now pays influencers for their posts on X and continually integrates new functions into the platform.
tmk/AP