Twitter (X) files lawsuit against non-profit org studying hate speech on the platform

Twitter's new parent company is taking a hate speech research platform to court.

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Twitter, which previously rebranded to X, has been a fascinating company to watch since the Elon Musk takeover last year. As the multibillionaire has made large changes to the social media platform’s policies and operations, it’s also drawn a lot of scrutiny, particularly in regards to moderation. This includes the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has been conducting research into hate speech on the platform. Now, Twitter (X) is suing the non-profit organization.

Twitter’s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate was spotted via an official court filing. It’s primarily the result of a research report that CCDH published in June, which alleges that Twitter fails to take action against 99 percent of Twitter Blue subscribers that tweet hate speech. The report also includes direct quotes from tweets that were left unmoderated, each of which target marginalized communities.

The Twitter logo on the outside of the company's HQ.

Source: Getty Images

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, there have been widespread concerns about moderation on the platform given his perception of free speech, as well as his engagement with accounts infamous for spreading hateful content. Twitter claims that the CCDH is attempting to “falsely claim it had statistical support showing the platform is overwhelmed with harmful content.” In a recent letter sent from Twitter to CCDH, the social media company calls the claims inflammatory, outrageous, and misleading. Twitter has also accused the organization of trying to drive advertisers away from the platform.

It’s not the first bout of legal drama Twitter has found itself in during the Elon Musk era. After Meta launched its own Twitter alternative with Threads, Twitter accused Meta of using company secrets and threatened legal action. Be sure to bookmark our Twitter topic page for future updates on the situation, as well as any additional news from the social media company now known as X.

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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