X Corp., previously known as Twitter, has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) for unauthorized data access and manipulation. The lawsuit is centered around a research report published by CCDH, which claimed a rise in hate speech on the platform after Elon Musk acquired the company. The report alleged that Twitter failed to address hate speech and questioned the effectiveness of its algorithm in curbing toxic content.
The lawsuit also accuses CCDH of using illegally obtained data to falsely support their claim that Twitter is overwhelmed with harmful content. X Corp. is seeking a jury trial, monetary damages, and wants to restrict CCDH and its collaborators from accessing data provided by X to social media listening platform Brandwatch.
This legal action follows a letter sent by X Corp. to CCDH, accusing the organization of making false and inflammatory assertions about Twitter, with the alleged intention of driving advertisers away from the platform. The lawsuit sheds light on the conflicting stance of Elon Musk, who presents himself as a free speech advocate but has taken actions such as enforcing non-disclosure agreements and suspending critics on Twitter.
In response, Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of CCDH, criticized Musk’s legal threat as authoritarian and an attempt to silence those who criticize him. Ahmed argues that hate and disinformation have increased on the platform under Musk’s ownership, and the lawsuit is an effort to suppress CCDH’s efforts to combat these issues.
X Corp. has also faced criticism for reinstating controversial accounts, including one that shared child sex abuse materials and another belonging to Ye (Kanye West) who made antisemitic comments and shared Nazi symbols.
This lawsuit adds to the recent surge in legal actions involving Twitter and Musk. In May, Twitter accused Microsoft of misusing Twitter data, and in July, Twitter threatened to sue Meta over its Threads app for alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. Additionally, Twitter filed a data-scraping lawsuit in Dallas and sued Israel-based Bright Data for unauthorized scraping and sale of content and user data.
It is important to note that data scraping is generally legal in the U.S. when publicly accessible data is involved, as ruled by the U.S. Ninth Circuit of Appeals in 2022.
In conclusion, X Corp.’s lawsuit against CCDH showcases the ongoing legal battles and disputes surrounding Twitter, Elon Musk, and the management of harmful content on the platform.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
