Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), has issued a legal threat against independent researchers who have been studying the increase in hate speech and disinformation on the site since Musk took over last year. The billionaire’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, sent a letter accusing the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) of making baseless claims to harm Twitter and its advertising business. The CCDH had criticized Twitter, alleging that the company profited from anti-LGBTQ+ content and reinstating banned accounts. Musk, who claims to advocate free speech, has made significant changes to the platform, including reducing content moderation, implementing a paid subscription service for verification, firing staff, and rebranding as X.
Musk’s lawyer’s letter was uploaded to the CCDH website after the nonprofit organization had documented the platform’s failure to monitor hate speech by Twitter Blue subscribers. Musk also tweeted accusing the organization of pushing censorship, which the CCDH considers a disturbing attempt to intimidate those advocating against hate speech online. Another computer scientist and his team at the University of Southern California found a sharp increase in hate speech on the platform since Musk’s acquisition. Additionally, a study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and CASM Technology reported a rise in antisemitism on Twitter.
The CCDH CEO, Imran Ahmed, stated that Musk’s actions aim to silence criticism and independent research to rebuild his relationship with advertisers. Ahmed believes that advertisers are leaving the platform due to Musk’s support for hate and racism without taking action to stop it. X refuted CCDH’s claims, accusing the organization of hindering free expression. This is not the first time Musk has responded to critics; he previously suspended accounts of journalists reporting on his takeover and a user tracking his private plane with publicly available data.
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