Elon Musk's X has challenged a New York state law that requires social media companies to disclose how they monitor hate speech, extremism, and other contentious content. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, argues that the law forces companies to disclose "highly sensitive and controversial speech" that is protected under the constitution's First Amendment. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is in charge of enforcing this law, is the named defendant in X's lawsuit. Social media siteshave becomethe main source of news for Americans, with majority consuming it on networks like X, according to a new research from the Reuters Institute. Deciding what content is acceptable on social media platforms "engenders considerable debate among reasonable people about where to draw the correct proverbial line," X said. "This is not a role that the government may play." The Stop Hiding Hate Act, passed in December, requires social media companies to disclose steps they take to eliminate hate on their platforms, and to report their progress. In a statement on Tuesday, the two New York state lawmakers who sponsored the Stop Hiding Hate Act called social media companies like X "cesspools of hate speech" and said the law did not violate the First Amendment. Social media platforms, including X, "have consistently failed to inform the public about their policies regarding hatred and misinformation", Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Grace Lee said. Neither New York Attorney General Letitia James nor X replied to the BBC's request for comment on Tuesday. X's lawsuit against New York state comes nine months after the company successfully blocked a California law that required large social media companies to submit reports about their content-moderation policies. The company extensively cited its earlier victory in its Tuesday's lawsuit and criticised New York lawmakers for failing to revisit the legislation's language even after the California law was largely struck down. Musk, who acquired X in 2022, has dramatically scaled back the rules that govern what content and behaviours are acceptable on the platform, according to Professor Laura Edelson, who teaches computer science at Northeastern University. He has "also significantly reduced the resources the platform puts into enforcing even the rules it does still have," she said. "This is why, even though rules around spam haven't changed on X, there is so much more floating around than there used to be." Last year, a federal judgedismisseda lawsuit brought by Musk against a research group that documented an uptick in hate speech on the site. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletterto follow the world's top tech stories and trends.Outside the UK? Sign up here.
Musk's X sues New York state over social media hate speech law
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"X Files Lawsuit Against New York Over Hate Speech Monitoring Law"
Bbc News
7.6
TruthLens AI Summary
Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York in response to a law mandating social media companies to disclose their monitoring practices regarding hate speech and extremism. The law, known as the Stop Hiding Hate Act, requires platforms to report on the measures they take to combat hate content and to track their progress in doing so. In its lawsuit, X argues that this requirement infringes upon the First Amendment rights by compelling the disclosure of sensitive and controversial speech. The lawsuit names New York Attorney General Letitia James as the defendant, who is responsible for enforcing the law. X asserts that determining what constitutes acceptable content on social media is a contentious issue that should not be governed by the state, as it leads to significant debate about where the boundaries of free speech lie.
The Stop Hiding Hate Act was enacted in December and has drawn criticism from X and its supporters, who view the law as an overreach that could stifle free expression. Two New York lawmakers who sponsored the legislation have labeled social media platforms as "cesspools of hate speech" and maintain that the law does not violate constitutional rights. They argue that such platforms have consistently failed to adequately inform the public about their policies on hate and misinformation. X’s legal challenge follows a previous success against a similar California law that required social media companies to reveal their content moderation strategies. This ongoing legal battle highlights the tension between regulatory efforts aimed at curbing online hate speech and the platforms' commitment to free speech principles. Furthermore, since Musk's acquisition of X in 2022, he has significantly relaxed the rules governing content moderation, which critics argue has led to an increase in problematic content on the platform, raising further concerns about the effectiveness of self-regulation in addressing hate speech online.
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