US Court Rejects X Corp's Lawsuit Against NGOs Criticizing The Increase In Hate Speech On Twitter

Elon Musk is accused of making more hate speech on Twitter. (photo: x @cb_doge)

JAKARTA - A judge in the United States will consider rejecting the lawsuit filed by X Corp against an NGO that has criticized the increase in hate speech on Twitter's social media platform, then known as Twitter. Especially since Elon Musk took over ownership of the platform.

X Corp sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate in July last year, accusing the NGO of trying to "intimidate" advertisers by claiming that Elon Musk had not done much to stop hate speech, racist posts, and misleading information that flooded the platform.

According to X Corp, the NGO is inappropriate in taking and selecting data to make wrong and misleading reports, in hopes of silencing people who disagree with it in highly debated topics such as the COVID-19 vaccine, reproductive health, and climate change.

Digital Countering Center for Hate denied the allegations by saying Musk, known as a proponent of free speech, was actually trying to silence.

The NGO confirms that it is not responsible for how advertisers respond to their reports that are not slanderous about publicly available content on Twitter, and that the lawsuit violates California's anti-SLAPP laws, meaning strategic lawsuits against public participation.

The NGO also denied X Corp's claim that commercial competitors and perhaps foreign governments are funding its efforts.

US District Court Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will consider the request for rejection in a hearing. It is not yet clear whether he will make a direct decision.

The European Climate Foundation, which promotes efforts to reduce climate change, is also one of the defendants in this case.

Elon Musk, the second richest person in the world, bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022.

Musk has faced many criticisms for the act of dismissing large numbers of employees on Twitter in charge of monitoring misleading information, and for allowing more detrimental and harassment posts.

In November 2023, Musk supported an antisemitic post on Twitter saying that members of the Jewish community were growing hatred for white people, stating that the user was "talking the truth."

Musk has denied that he is antisemitic and has tried to correct his post. In January, he visited a former Auschwitz Nazi death camp in southern Poland.

Advertisers have left Twitter since Musk bought it and reduced the moderation of content that has resulted in a dramatic increase in hate speech on the platform, civil rights groups said.

Musk is also the chief executive of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, which has faced several lawsuits claiming the company tolerates abuse against workers.