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Musk says Twitter (X) will sue Anti-Defamation League to clear claims of platform's anti-Semitism

Elon Musk claims Twitter (X) will sue the ADL for defamation related to claims of increased anti-Semitism on the social media platform.
Asif Khan
Asif Khan
7

Elon Musk's X platform has been labeled a lot of things by people. One such designation has come from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The group has pointed out an increase in anti-Semitism on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Musk took to X to post the news of an upcoming defamation lawsuit against the ADL "to clear our platform's name on the matter of anti-Semitism".

Here's a transcription of the tweet in case Musk deletes it or breaks how post embeds work again.

To clear our platform’s name on the matter of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League … oh the irony!

Earlier in the day, Musk posted "To be super clear, I am pro free speech, but against anti-Semitism of any kind."

The Auschwitz Memorial Twitter account has put a spotlight on some vile posts on the platform for months. Holocaust denials can be found in reply to many of the account's posts on the X platform, and they have highlighted various verified user accounts that are blatantly anti-Semitic.

In replies to his sychophants, Musk has provided even more color behind the real motivation behind this lawsuit:

Interesting.

In our case, they would potentially be on the hook for destroying half the value of the company, so roughly $22 billion.

Based on what we’ve heard from advertisers, ADL seems to be responsible for most of our revenue loss.

Giving them maximum benefit of the doubt, I don’t see any scenario where they’re responsible for less than 10% of the value destruction, so ~$4 billion.

Document discovery of all communications between The ADL and advertisers will tell the full story.

Just a few days ago, Musk suggested banning the ADL from Twitter (X) when he saw #BanTheADL was trending. "The ADL has done a lot of good work in prior decades, but has been overzealous in recent years & hijacked by woke mind virus," said the CTO of the social media platform.

According to a study done by USC, UCLA, UC Merced, and Oregon State University, daily use of hate speech nearly doubled on Twitter after the Musk deal closed. This study featured a "hate lexicon" of 49 racist, homophobic, transphobic, and anti-Semitic terms. As a user of the platform, this purported uptick in toxic behavior has been pretty noticeable on the "For You" timeline which has become a haven of hate speech and videos of violence in recent months.

Musk's real motivation for this lawsuit appears to be more related to declining advertising revenue on the platform as opposed to his free speech crusade or his desire to clear Twitter's name. 

Cheech and Chong and Blue Chews seem to be some of the last advertising partners standing on the platform. Many of the problems that the ADL and other entities have warned Twitter about were present on the platform before Musk took over, but the general level of discourse has certainly devolved in recent months.

We will keep an eye on this ongoing battle between one of the richest men on Earth and the ADL. Readers can consider donating to the Anti-Defamation League if you are so inclined.

CEO/EIC/EIEIO
CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Asif Khan is the CEO, EIC, and majority shareholder of Shacknews. He began his career in video game journalism as a freelancer in 2001 for Tendobox.com. Asif is a CPA and was formerly an investment adviser representative. After much success in his own personal investments, he retired from his day job in financial services and is currently focused on new private investments. His favorite PC game of all time is Duke Nukem 3D, and he is an unapologetic fan of most things Nintendo. Asif first frequented the Shack when it was sCary's Shugashack to find all things Quake. When he is not immersed in investments or gaming he is a purveyor of fine electronic music. Asif also has an irrational love of Cleveland sports.

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