Hate speech watchdog CEO responds to Elon Musk's X lawsuit
The Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed said the lawsuit has produced a ‘chilling effect’ across the civil rights sector.
A hate speech watchdog group Republicans have accused of coordinating with the federal government to censor conservatives on social media says GOP lawmakers are mistaken.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) responded to an inquiry from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Thursday, writing in a letter that Republicans "may not have a clear understanding" of the group's mission or work.
Jordan previously sent a letter to CCDH accusing the organization of participating in a "censorship regime" facilitated by the Biden administration with cooperation from social media companies.
"Given the stated purpose of the letter and its requests for documents and information, we fear that the Committee may not have a clear understanding of CCDH’s mission or work," a lawyer representing CCDH wrote in response to the House Judiciary Committee Thursday.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, listens during a hearing with the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on Capitol Hill July 20, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"Considering the seriousness of this allegation and the underlying concerns regarding online disinformation, we feel compelled to set the record straight."
On Aug. 3, Jordan demanded that CCDH turn over documents and communications between the organization and the executive branch and social media companies. Judiciary Republicans also requested information on any and all funds CCDH received from the federal government.
In its response, CCDH explained its status as a non-for-profit 501(c)(3) and non-governmental organization "that seeks to disrupt the architecture of online hate and misinformation." The letter reiterated CCDH's stated mission and highlighted its work with both Republican and Democratic administrations.
The group claimed it has an obligation "to remain nonpolitical and nonpartisan."
Elon Musk, billionaire and owner of X, formerly Twitter, at the Viva Tech fair in Paris June 16, 2023. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The letter also addressed lawmakers' questions over CCDH's funding.
"CCDH is funded entirely by private donors and has never received any grants, entered into any contracts, or received any donations from the United States Government," the letter emphasized.
READ CCDH'S RESPONSE TO REP. JIM JORDAN BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE
CCDH's lawyers noted that Jordan's initial Aug. 3 letter was sent on the same day the Judiciary Committee released a press release that cited a lawsuit filed by X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, against the organization. Questioning the timing, the letter said CCDH "will not be dissuaded from pursuing its vital mission by litigation, governmental inquiry, or public pressure."
TWITTER USERS UP IN ARMS AFTER MUSK'S 'X' NAME CHANGE: 'RIP TWITTER'
The Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed and Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Time)
In the lawsuit filed earlier this month, X Corp. claimed CCDH published "misleading claims" and exaggerated the prevalence of harmful content on X to thwart investment from advertisers.
X Corp. said the "scare campaign" was accomplished by illegally scraping data and cherry-picking inflammatory posts to support the CCDH's thesis about hate speech on the platform.
CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed denied the allegations and stood by his group's claims that hate speech increased on X after Musk bought the platform.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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