CCDH is being sued by X Corporation over anti-hate campaigns

The Company that owns Twitter, now known as X, is suing an anti-hate group whose research disparaged the website.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which has offices in the US and the UK, has been charged by X Corp. (previously Twitter) with engaging in "unlawful acts" in order to "improperly gain access" to its data.

Elon Musk, the owner of X Corp., was accused by the CCDH of attempting to silence anyone who disagreed with him. Mr. Musk has described himself as an "absolutist of free speech" in the past.

The non-profit organization called CCDH conducts research and organizes campaigns against online hatred. Its reports have received numerous press citations, including the BBC. In a letter to Mr. Musk, and three US congressmen—Lori Trahan, Adam Schiff, and Sean Casten, they argued that by suing CCDH, Mr. Musk suppressed objective research conducted in the interest of the public.

The lawsuit was announced on Monday shortly after a tense exchange of legal letters, the first of which was from X Corp. lawyer Alex Spiro where he threatened legal action and was then followed by a direct reply from CCDH's US lawyer Roberta Kaplan.

Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell and a board member for CCDH UK, responded to the written complaint from X Corp by claiming Elon Musk's legal action added up to an unprecedented assault on civil society.

Mr. Musk asserted in November that since he took over, hate speech on the platform had decreased by a third.