'Pro Free Speech' Elon Musk Wants to Sue ADL, Blames It for Twitter's Lost Revenue
Elon Musk bought Twitter, now known as as X, ostensibly to protect free speech. But that isn’t stopping him from threatening to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group devoted to fighting antisemitism and a vocal critic of Twitter’s efforts to stop hate speech.
Over Labor Day weekend, Musk blasted the ADL for allegedly causing advertisers to flee Twitter. For months now, the group has been calling out the social media platform for failing to take down antisemitic tweets and reinstating user accounts that previously promoted hateful content.
Despite his free speech stance, Musk says the ADL's criticisms are a threat to Twitter’s existence. According to him, Twitter’s ad revenue in the US has plummeted to 60% and the ADL is a major reason why.
“Since the acquisition, The @ADL has been trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic,” Musk wrote in a tweet on Monday. “Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!”
Musk didn’t supply evidence of the ADL calling him an antisemite. It's also no secret Twitter has implemented a variety of controversial changes, many of which have obliterated trust in the site, like allowing anyone to buy a verified checkmark, firing much of the staff, allowing previously banned people back on the platform, and threatening to remove crucial security measures, like the ability to block accounts.
Nonetheless, Musk is threatening to sue the ADL for defamation. He’s since been using his Twitter account to rail against the ADL while his supporters promote the hashtag #BanTheADL.
“Advertisers avoid controversy, so all that is
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