Pointed out that Elon Musk and influential Republicans are using lawsuits to silence groups researching disinformation – GIGAZINE

Some Republican politicians and Mr. Elon Musk have filed a lawsuit against the organization, which studies disinformation and raises awareness, because the disinformation it studies is consistent with the opinions of conservatives. A Bloomberg reporter pointed out that they are trying to suppress the situation.

Musk and Friends Are Smothering the Internet’s Truth Seekers – Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-28/musk-and-friends-are-smothering-the-internet-s-truth-seekers

Bloomberg technology columnist Palmy Olson said that a group that studies the flow of disinformationanother factHe said he was being sued by someone who appears to be profiting from the spread of “.

Olson said these groups are being sued in part because some of the misinformation they track aligns with conservative positions.

For example, with the coronavirus outbreak, Olson says, “Many Republican leaders and influencers, including Donald Trump himself, have questioned many of the social distancing measures and mask mandates, creating vaccine skepticism. But when a disinformation research group called on social media to remove posts containing misinformation, Republicans saw it as a partisan attack.”

Mr. Olson argues that Republican officials are trying to suppress disinformation research groups by suing them because their activities hinder the activities of the Republican Party.

An example of a lawsuit is the 2023 case brought by President Trump’s advisor Stephen Miller against the Stanford University Internet Observatory. Miller alleges that the organization and other research groups conspired with the federal government to conduct mass surveillance and censorship targeting the political speech of millions of Americans. The Internet Observatory was “closed under pressure” the following year.be reportedIt has reached this point.

In addition,GraphikaorInstitute for Strategic DialogueIt is said that lawsuits and summonses to Congress have been filed against such prominent organizations.

Musk “made a series of problematic and unsubstantiated claims intended to harm X (formerly Twitter)’s digital advertising business.”Digital Hate Countermeasures Centeris suing. In addition, multiple researchers have reportedly given up or changed their research due to concerns about Mr. Musk’s lawsuit.

More than 100 researchers abandon research on X (formerly Twitter) due to fear of prosecution of Elon Musk – GIGAZINE

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Olson said, “Calling research on disinformation as ‘censorship’ further upsets the balance on social media, where disinformation is poorly suppressed.With research groups disappearing, it becomes difficult to see where disinformation is being shared. “If we don’t know, how can we hold online platforms accountable?”