- X Corp says this law violates its freedom of speech rights and aims to pressure platforms to remove protected content.
- AB 587 makes social media firms publicly disclose their rules
- Musk might sue the ADL for accusing him of anti-Semitism, leading to X Corp losing money from advertisers.
Elon Musk’s X Corp has filed a lawsuit against the state of California, challenging a law known as AB 587, which mandates that social media companies publicly disclose their policies on hate speech, disinformation, harassment, and extremism. X Corp, formerly Twitter, argues in the federal lawsuit that this law infringes upon its freedom of speech rights. The company contends that AB 587’s real intent is to pressure social media platforms into removing content protected by the Constitution but deemed problematic by the state.
Furthermore, the lawsuit criticizes the law’s requirements for social media companies to publicly share their policies related to hate speech, disinformation, harassment, and extremism and to report data on their enforcement of these policies. California Governor Gavin Newsom had signed this bill into law a year ago, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability regarding the impact of social media platforms on public discourse.
Elon Musk, earlier in the week, had also hinted at a potential lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a prominent anti-hate organization, alleging that its accusations of anti-Semitism have led to revenue loss for X Corp. Musk accused the US-based Jewish organization of making baseless complaints against him and X Corp, which, in turn, frightened away advertisers. Musk clarified his stance on free speech but expressed his opposition to anti-Semitism.
In a 2016 report, the ADL had highlighted a surge in anti-Semitic attacks against journalists on Twitter during the 2016 presidential campaign, attributing it to inflammatory rhetoric. The organization criticized the social network for its handling of trolling issues. It’s worth noting that Elon Musk has faced accusations of promoting anti-Semitic stereotypes and participating in attacks against Jewish philanthropist George Soros.
According to both the ADL and the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), problematic and racist content has seen a significant increase on X Corp’s platform since Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition in October. During this period, Musk took actions such as terminating thousands of platform employees, reducing content moderation, and reinstating former President Donald Trump’s account.
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