Elon Musk is engaging in a conversation with right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro about anti-Semitism online at the EJA conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Krakow, Poland, on January 22, 2023. The conference, organized by the European Jewish Association, is taking place in Krakow in connection with the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The main topic of the conference is the rise in anti-Semitism, which the association has noted since October 7, amid the conflict in Palestine. On the second day, delegations are planning to visit the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and hold a memorial ceremony. (Photo by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Musk suit against watchdog dismissed in court
A case brought by Elon Musk, the owner of X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, against a hate-speech watchdog group was dismissed by a federal court Monday.
In his case against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), Musk alleged that CCDH illegally scraped data from the platform while assembling reports about the spread of hate speech and misinformation online.
Musk filed the lawsuit amid pressure from civil society groups over his decision to loosen Twitter’s content moderation rules.
Judge Charles Breyer, in a 52-page decision dismissing the case, argued the lawsuit was based around “punishing” CCDH for their speech.
“Sometimes it is unclear what is driving a litigation, and only by reading between the lines of a complaint can one attempt to surmise a plaintiff’s true purpose. Other times, a complaint is so unabashedly and vociferously about one thing that there can be no mistaking that purpose. This case represents the latter circumstance. This case is about punishing the Defendants for their speech,” Breyer wrote.
Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of CCDH, said in a post on X, “This ruling sends a strong message to those who aim at intimidating and silencing independent research.”
The “X News” account posted that the company “disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to appeal.”
CCDH filed to strike X’s claims under California’s law against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), or lawsuits that serve a purpose of silencing or punishing a defendant to speak out on matters of public interest.
“X Corp.’s motivation in bringing this case is evident,” Bryer wrote.
“X Corp. has brought this case in order to punish CCDH for CCDH publications that criticized X Corp.—and perhaps in order to dissuade others who might wish to engage in such criticism,” he added.
The newly formed parent company for Truth Social will debut on the stock market Tuesday, bringing to a close a years-long merger that is set to net former President Trump billions of dollars. A special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merged with Truth Social parent Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. on Monday following months of negotiations and legal challenges, allowing it to make an initial public offering on the …
The Biden administration sanctioned two Chinese nationals and a Wuhan-based company Monday that allegedly targeted critical infrastructure sectors in the U.S. as part of an expansive hacking effort. The Treasury Department levied sanctions against Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin, as well as the Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company, which the agency accused of acting as a front for China’s top spy agency. “The United …
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill Monday that bans children younger than 14 years from holding social media accounts in the Sunshine State. The legislation also requires 14- and 15-year-olds to obtain parental approval to hold accounts on social media platforms that employ algorithms and have “certain addictive features.” “The internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous …
News we’ve flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
Financial Times launches AI chatbot
The Financial Times has launched a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot called AskFT that was trained on the outlet’s decades of published content, The Verge reported.
China curbs use of AMD, Intel chips
China plans to phase out the use of AMD and Intel microprocessors in government PCs and servers under new guidelines, The Financial Times reported.
On Our Radar
Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:
R Street Institute will hold an event titled “Making 2024 the Year We Secure American Data” on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hackers linked to the Chinese government launched a sweeping, state-backed operation that targeted U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the U.K.’s election watchdog, American and British authorities said Monday in announcing a set of criminal …
The hosts of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” said Monday that former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel — NBC News’s new paid contributor — will … Read more
