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Twitter is caught in controversy yet again, as Elon Musk is threatening to sue a group that’s been reporting on the increase of hate speech on the platform.
The social media platform which is now known as X is threatening legal action against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The group states that it received a letter from their attorney Alex Spiro expressing that intent on July 20th from the company accusing them of “a series of troubling and baseless claims that appear calculated to harm Twitter generally, and its digital advertising business specifically,” claiming it had used improper methodology in its research. A blog post claimed that a lawsuit was filed in Northern California on Monday (July 31st).
The CCDH has published numerous reports highlighting research that alleges that the social media platform is failing to protect its users from rampant hate speech, particularly from those who subscribe to Twitter Blue. A recent study done by the group showed that the company refused to take action against 99% of hate speech that originated with those subscribers. It also follows previous studies from the group that Twitter failed to act on 89% and 97% of posts that had anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate speech, respectively.
In the letter, Spiro claims that CCDH’s findings weren’t credibly supported, continuing: “to the extent that CCDH is passing off as impartial “research” material that is, in fact, being funded in support of an ulterior agenda, your representations are all the more misleading.”
“Elon Musk’s actions represent a brazen attempt to silence honest criticism and independent research,” CCDH’s chief executive Imran Ahmed said when contacted by the New York Times, also adding that owner Elon Musk aimed to “stem the tide of negative stories and rebuild his relationship with advertisers.” Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer representing the CCDH, wrote in a statement: “These allegations not only have no basis in fact (your letter states none), but they represent a disturbing effort to intimidate those who have the courage to advocate against incitement, hate speech, and harmful content online.”
