Elon Musk's 'X' Faces Legal Setback: Court Dismisses Case Against Anti-Hate Group

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 25 March 2024, 08:03 pm

Elon Musk's social media platform, "X," formerly Twitter, lost a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate after a California federal court dismissed the case.

In July last year, X filed a complaint in the US District Court for the Northern District of California against the group for publishing stories alleging an increase in hate speech on the social media platform following Elon Musk's takeover. X stated that the Center for Countering Digital Hate's report hurt its business, prompting sponsors to leave and causing significant financial losses.

Judge Charles R. Breyer, however, determined that X's action was an effort to punish the nonprofit organization for using its First Amendment rights and to quiet its critics. He asserted the legal protection of the defendant's work and the clear intention of the case, which "is about punishing the Defendants for their speech," as The New York Times reported.

Anti-Hate Group Commend Court Decision

The US court's ruling is a setback for Elon Musk, who has often used legal threats to counter criticism of his social media platform. In November last year, after Media Matters for America revealed that X placed advertisements next to pro-Nazi material, the tech mogul filed a lawsuit against the advocacy organization, per The Verge.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, praised the court's decision and emphasized the crucial role of protecting people's freedoms of speech, investigation, and accountability toward social media firms.

In response, X said it would appeal the US court's ruling and would keep suing the anti-hate research organization, alleging that it had illegally obtained platform data to conduct deceptive study.

Over the last year, X has had difficulties keeping its advertising, as evidenced by the departure of numerous significant sponsors. Musk's divisive comments, including telling advertisers that left the social platform to "go f-k yourselves," have made matters worse, according to Gizmodo.

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Elon Musk said in the past that he acquired X to preserve free expression, but the court found him intimidating opponents. The court called it a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) to intimidate opponents.

An aerial view shows a newly constructed X sign on the roof of the headquarters of the social media platform previously known as Twitter, in San Francisco, on July 29, 2023. (Photo : JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Another Legal Blow For X

This development comes after the plaintiffs in the ongoing music copyright litigation against X were granted permission to pursue their claims against the firm for purported infringement, per a TechTimes report. The complaint asserts X's liability for the widespread copyright infringement claims resulting from users uploading copyright-protected music on the social media platform.

X had previously sought to dismiss the action, but the court denied this request, noting the substantial liabilities the business would incur as the case developed.

Recently, US District Judge Aleta A. Trauger announced that X's move to dismiss the case was refused, meaning that the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) may continue with its lawsuit. The main reason for using X and its members is that they distributed music-related material on the site, which constitutes copyright infringement.

Claims of copyright infringement date back to December 2021, when Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, served as its CEO and operated under the name Twitter. Twitter received weekly notifications of infringement throughout this period.