Elon Musk To Sue Adl For Trying To ‘Kill’ X Platform

Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), has issued a legal threat against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a civil rights group dedicated to combating antisemitism and bigotry. Musk accuses the ADL of attempting to "kill" his social media platform, X, by leveling false accusations of antisemitism. In a series of posts on X, Musk claimed that advertising sales for his platform had plummeted by 60%, with most of the revenue loss attributed to the ADL. Musk accused the group of seeking to shut down his company through false allegations of antisemitism, stating, "Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic." Additionally, Musk indicated that he plans to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League, noting, "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!" This legal threat comes shortly after Musk initiated a lawsuit against another anti-hate speech organization, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), alleging that it had damaged X's advertiser relationships. CCDH has pledged to contest the lawsuit and continue holding "Twitter's feet to the fire." Musk emphasized his support for free speech but made it clear that he is firmly against any form of antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League is a prominent anti-hate organization with a mission to combat defamation against the Jewish people and promote justice and equitable treatment for all. According to the ADL, antisemitic content on X surged after Musk's acquisition of the platform in October 2022, resulting in the reinstatement of extremists and conspiracy theorists and the harassment of former members of the platform's dissolved trust and safety council. Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, stated recently that the platform had become a safer place under Musk's ownership, emphasizing that "X is a much healthier and safer platform than it was a year ago." Yaccarino was appointed as CEO in May with the aim of repairing relationships with advertisers, as advertising accounted for 90% of X's revenue in 2021. However, doubts about Musk's leadership have led some companies, including Audi and Pfizer, to pause their ad spending on the platform. X also faced challenges during a relaunch of its subscription product, resulting in impostor accounts and user dissatisfaction.