X: Hateful Tweets Are on the Rise, but Elon Musk Wants To Sue the Researchers Who Found Out

By Rick Martin Aug 01 2023, 23:06 PM EDT

Hateful tweets seem to be on the rise in X, formerly Twitter. However, CEO Elon Musk does not seem to be happy with this new information and is threatening to sue researchers for finding out that hate speech is on the rise on his social media platform.

The study was conducted by the nonprofit group Center for Countering Digital Hate, which acknowledged that they received a letter from an attorney representing X (formerly Twitter) last July 20. It threatened the nonprofit group with legal action regarding its research into hate speech and content moderation.

According to the Associated Press, the letter alleged that the nonprofit's research publications seem intended "to harm Twitter's business by driving advertisers away from the platform with incendiary claims."

While Musk says he advocates free speech and is a "self-professed free speech absolutist," even welcoming back white supremacists and election deniers to the platform, he has proven to be sensitive about speech that criticizes him or his companies.

Twitter Claims Research Done by Nonprofit Over Hate Tweets Is 'Misleading'

The Center for Countering Digital Hate showed screenshots of the letter via its official website on Monday, where Elon Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, described the research done by the organization as "false, misleading, or both" and claimed that the organization's methodologies were flawed.

NBC News noted that the letter cited one research report that claimed that X, then Twitter, failed to take action against 99% of the 100 posts that were flagged to be hate tweets. These include homophobic and antisemitic content.

In the letter, Spiro wrote that the company was investigating whether the nonprofit's "false and misleading claims about Twitter" were actionable under federal law. He told the organization, "Please be advised that Twitter will employ any and all legal tools at its disposal to prevent false or misleading claims from harming its users, platform, or business."

However, CCDH is fighting back, with an attorney for the nonprofit, Roberta Kaplan, blasting the claims made in the letter and calling it "ridiculous." She added that X is free to pursue litigation and reminded the social media giant that "they should be mindful of the risks involved in bringing frivolous claims to intimidate thoughtful critics and stifle legitimate commentary on issues of clear public interest."

CCDH itself also released a statement, saying, "Elon Musk's actions represent a brazen attempt to silence honest criticism and independent research in the desperate hope that he can stem the tide of negative stories and rebuild his relationship with advertisers."

Former Twitter Executive Pokes Fun at Elon Musk's 'X' Rebrand, Says He Is Destroying the Company

In a complete rebrand, Elon Musk hopes to turn "tweets" into "x's" and make the platform much more like China's WeChat. However, Musk's own former Twitter lieutenant, Esther Crawford, stated that the billionaire is destroying his own company.

"Corporate seppuku: destroying your own product or brand," tweeted Crawford in a jab at her former boss. This is a reference to the ancient form of ritualistic suicide in Japanese culture, Seppuku, which she claims Musk is doing right now, according to Business Insider.

"Usually committed by new management in pursuit of cost-savings due to a lack of understanding about the core business or disregard for the customer experience," she wrote. "The result is a massive loss of shareholder value."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: What to expect from Elon Musk's X lawsuit against anti-hate speech group - NBC News