X files lawsuit against CCDH over 'false' claims on abusive comments

It said that CCDH gained "access to X's data without Brandwatch’s authorization", and the published research based on the date used it out of context to make "unsubstantiated assertions about X (formerly Twitter)". (Image: Reuters)

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), alleging that the British non-profit has made "false" claims regarding the rise of abusive comments on X.

CCDH published a report in June that said Twitter failed to act on 99 percent of hate speech posted online by Twitter Blue subscribers. It even accused them of boosting harmful tweets through its algorithm.

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In response, X put out a blog post late Monday accusing the CCDH of "actively working to assert false and misleading claims encouraging advertisers to pause investment on the platform".

It said that CCDH gained "access to X's data without Brandwatch’s authorization", and the published research based on the date used it out of context to make "unsubstantiated assertions about X (formerly Twitter)".

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X wrote that it conducted an internal investigation to find that CCDH had recently "scraped X's platform" for data without authorisation. The company also accused them of "working to prevent free expression".

The CCDH said "Billionaires can't bully us", and stood by its research. It said that this was a "brazen attempt to silence honest criticism", in the hope of Elon Musk rebuilding "his relationship with advertisers".