Elon Musk stated in a post on Monday that he opposed antisemitism and that the loss of advertising revenue following his acquisition of X, the website formerly known as Twitter, was due to the Anti-Defamation League.
Musk blames Anti-Defamation League: On his verified account on Monday afternoon, the tech magnate made an apparently random statement about his views on free speech and antisemitism. A user questioned Musk’s attitude, and Musk responded that the ADL has been “trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic.”
Musk wrote, “Ironically, the ‘Anti-Defamation’ League will be the target of a defamation lawsuit if this continues.” We will demand that they remove the “anti” component of their name if they lose the slander lawsuit because, obviously.
Later, he stated in another post that, in order to clear its name, X “has no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit” against the group.
When asked if a complaint had been written, Musk and X’s legal counsel did not respond to an email right away.
Musk further pointed out that the U.S. advertising revenue for X is still down by 60% and said that certain companies have informed the social media platform that the ADL has exerted pressure on them.
As a matter of policy, the ADL declined to comment on legal threats on Monday. A representative pointed NBC News to an all-encompassing statement the group released in reaction to the most current #BanTheADL movement on the site, which Musk has participated in.
“Musk’s Suggestion to ‘Run a Poll’ Amidst Controversy Raises Concerns”
In a post on Saturday, Musk indicated that perhaps he need to “run a poll” on the subject.
Such cunning endeavours do not intimidate us, the statement continued. Rather, they encourage us to be unwavering in our commitment to combat hate in all of its manifestations and safeguard the safety of Jewish communities and other marginalised groups.
In November, NBC News reported that sponsors were leaving the platform because businesses were worried about the changes Musk will make to the social media platform. In a post at the time, Musk accused “activist groups” of trying to “destroy free speech in America”.
Users later provided more context for Musk’s remarks by linking to news stories that demonstrated that advertisers were behaving voluntarily.
“Legal Action Filed Against Non-Profit Group Accusing X of Misinformation and Hate Speech Campaign”
Last month, X brought legal action against a non-profit group that keeps an eye on hate speech and misinformation. According to the lawsuit submitted in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, he claimed that Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) had organised a “scare campaign to drive away advertisers from the X platform.”
The case alleges that CCDH issued reports criticizing the platform for its inadequate efforts to combat hate speech and engaged in “a series of unlawful acts intended to gain improper access” to the site’s data.
In a statement at the time, Imran Ahmed, the nonprofit’s founder and CEO, accused Musk of intimidation and called the lawsuit “straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”
“This lawsuit is a direct attempt to silence those efforts,” Ahmed added. “The Centre for Countering Digital Hate’s research shows that hate and disinformation are spreading like wildfire on the platform under Musk’s ownership.”
In March, the ADL published a study accusing the platform of doing nothing to stop hate speech. The ADL Centre for Technology and Society of the organisation discovered that just 28% of posts warned for antisemitic content were removed or punished.
“While we have no way to actually verify if the company is de-amplifying antisemitic content, we have found that Twitter is failing to take down tweets that clearly violate our hateful conduct policies,” the study added.
An inquiry for comment sent to X Monday afternoon did not receive a prompt response.
“Rise in Hate Speech on X After Musk’s Leadership, Says Research”
The day after Musk took over the business in October, according to a Montclair State University research from the previous year, there was an increase in hate speech on the site. The terms examined included derogatory and hostile expressions directed at people based on their race and other protected classes.
The university claimed that the evidence “clearly demonstrates that there is a correlation between Musk’s arrival and a broader perceived acceptability of posted hostile content on Twitter.”
The social networking company faced criticism in April for ostensibly reversing a long-standing policy intended to safeguard transgender users on the service. Twitter prohibited the targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender persons since 2018. However, earlier this year, they removed a paragraph referencing that prohibition from their policy.
However, GLAAD labeled Twitter, now known as X, as “the most dangerous platform for LGBTQ people” in its Social Media Safety Index.