Elon Musk has taken an aggressive stance against groups that say not enough is being done to combat hate speech online. Photo: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Elon Musk has threatened to sue a group of anti-Semitist campaign activists, saying they drove investors away and robbed Twitter of $4 billion (£3.2 billion) of value.
Tesla's billionaire has said he «has no choice» but to file a defamation lawsuit against a human rights group known as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has previously called for a suspension of social media advertising spending.
The group alleges that Mr. Musk has failed to quell hate speech on social media since he took office last year, leading to the spread of disinformation, which Musk vehemently denies.
Musk has now threatened legal action on the grounds that the claims deter advertisers, which he claims has a significant impact on business finances.
Tweeting, he wrote: «In order to clear the name of our platform on the issue of anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a libel suit against the Anti-Defamation League.»
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G- Musk bought Twitter last year for $44 billion, but said the loss of ad revenue caused its value to plummet.
The billionaire who renamed the platform X said ADL campaigns are responsible for «a large part of our revenue loss.»
He stated, «I don't see any scenario in which they would be responsible for less than 10 percent of the loss in value, which is [about] $4 billion.»
In order to clear our platform's name on anti-Semitism, it looks like we have no choice but to file a libel suit against the Anti-Defamation League… oh irony!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2023
The spat comes just days after a meeting between Twitter CEO Linda Iaccarino and Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the ADL.
Mr. Greenblatt said the conversation was «very candid» and «productive,» adding that he would credit Ms. Iaccarino «and Elon Musk if service improves.» Ms Iaccarino said the couple had a «strong and productive partnership».
However, just a few hours later, the phrase «#bantheADL» went viral on Twitter, and Mr. Musk liked and retweeted several posts incorporating the phrase.
Mr Musk said Twitter's U.S. ad revenue has fallen 60% «primarily due to pressure on advertisers» by the campaign group.
In November, the Stop Hate for Profit pressure group, which includes ADL, urged advertisers to «suspend their spending globally» and said «hate speech and disinformation have spread» on the app since Musk took office. .
The ADL, founded in 1913, has long campaigned against hate speech against Jews. In 2020, he joined the demands for a Facebook ad boycott.
Twitter and ADL did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Musk took an aggressive stance against hate campaigners . who accused Twitter of not doing enough to combat toxic posts.
In July, Twitter sued another group, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, for an alleged «bullying campaign.»
The group accused Musk of trying to «intimidate us, silence us.» ”.
On Monday, Musk added: “To be clear: I am for free speech, but against any kind of anti-Semitism.”
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