Elon Musk has threatened to sue the Anti-Defamation League after accusing the civil rights group that campaigns against anti-Semitism and bigotry of trying to "kill" his social media platform X.
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The owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, said the ADL is trying to shut down his company by “falsely accusing it and me of being anti-Semitic.”.
In a series of posts on X, Musk said that advertising sales for the business were down 60% and “based on what we’ve heard from advertisers, ADL appears to be responsible for the majority of our revenue loss.”
The world's richest man also said he would sue the group for defamation, writing to X that "it appears we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League... oh the irony!".
Musk recently sued another anti-hate speech group, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, in a lawsuit accusing it of damaging X’s relationship with advertisers. The CCDH said it will fight the lawsuit and continue to “keep Twitter under pressure.”.
In his posts on Tuesday, Musk added that to be “extra clear” he was in favor of free speech “but against anti-Semitism of any kind.”.
Proposal: Elon Musk on Twitter – X: “We may fail, as many have predicted”
The ADL describes itself as the world's leading anti-hate organization and says its mission is "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and ensure justice and fair treatment for all.".
According to the group, anti-Semitic posts on X increased sharply after Musk bought the site in October 2022, and the platform subsequently reinstated extremists and conspiracy theorists, while allowing the harassment of former members of the now-disbanded trust and safety council.
Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO, said last month that the platform has become safer under Musk’s ownership. “By all objective metrics, X is a much healthier and safer platform than it was a year ago,” she said.
Yaccarino, a highly respected TV advertising executive, was appointed in May with a priority of rebuilding relationships with advertisers. In 2021, advertising accounted for 90% of X’s revenue, but that revenue stream has been hit by companies halting ad spending amid doubts about Musk’s leadership.
Carmaker Audi and pharmaceutical group Pfizer were among the brands that have boycotted X amid concerns about the platform’s stance on content. X has reinstated previously banned users, such as misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, and also floundered during the relaunch of its subscription product, which resulted in a spate of fake accounts.
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source of information:theguardian.com
