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Elon Musk Sues Group For Pointing Out He Let Racists And Deniers Destroy Twitter [1]

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Date: 2023-08-01  

A " strategic lawsuit against public participation ," or SLAPP, is a lawsuit that seeks to censor someone by, at a minimum, punishing them by having to defend themselves from the suit.

That's exactly what self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist" Elon Musk has chosen to do. Last week Musk's lawyers sent the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) a legally threatening letter . Yesterday , they actually filed . Why? Because the group's research has shown how the social media site has devolved into a cesspool of hate and disinformation, especially under Musk's leadership .

It turns out major advertisers don't like paying to put their products next to neo-Nazi propaganda and climate disinfo, so in an attempt to shore up the massive advertiser losses, Musk is threatening to sue people who point out the harmful consequences of his decisions.

As CCDH's lawyer responded , "Simply put, there is no bona fide legal grievance here. Your effort to wield that threat anyway, on a law firm’s letterhead, is a transparent attempt to silence honest criticism. Obviously, such conduct could hardly be more inconsistent with the commitment to free speech purportedly held by Twitter’s current leadership."

Just like how "free speech" on campuses was actually only ever under attack by those claiming to protect " free speech ," Musk's branding as a free speech warrior was clearly always cover for the fragile ego of someone who didn't want to be canceled by Twitter users for having to pay $250,000 to settle a sexual misconduct claim brought by an employee.

In fact, Musk has a history of silencing people by suing them and suspending them on Twitter .

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/1/2184540/-Elon-Musk-Sues-Group-For-Pointing-Out-He-Let-Racists-And-Deniers-Destroy-Twitter

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