X -Where Twitter goes to die.

[raison de arizona]

Ron Filipkowski
@ronfilipkowski@bird.makeup
This is a post from Stephen Miller, who would have a senior role in a second Trump Admin, calling on Republican DAs to jail reporters with Media Matters because of their dispute with Musk.

A word from the MO AG:

► Show Spoiler

[raison de arizona]

But he's not filing a regular lawsuit. He's filing a thermonuclear lawsuit, so that's different somehow.

First thing Monday when the courthouse opens, right???

[raison de arizona]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1726660773286748561?s=20

Media Matters is pure evil

Neo-nazis, however, are just exercising their free speech rights.

[bob]

Today's SpaceX launch of a Starship experienced a "rapid unscheduled disassembly." Funny how that's what Musk is currently doing to Twitter.

It looks as if Musk's promised thermonuclear lawsuit suffered from the same fate.

[neeneko]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1726660773286748561?s=20

Media Matters is pure evil

Neo-nazis, however, are just exercising their free speech rights.

Neo-nazis just threaten the health and safety of lesser people.. but reporters hurt the bottom lines of the worthy.

[bob]

The lawsuit was (eventually) filed ... in N.D. Tex. (Ft. Worth Division).

In other words, Twitter X, a Nevada corporation, went judge shopping to sue a D.C. corporation and a Maryland resident.

Counts include interference with contract; business disparagement; and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The meat of the complaint is the Media Matters "manipulated" its feed (by following corporations and natzees), and then endlessly refreshed until there was a pairing.

I'll take the easy over on an anti-SLAPP counterclaim.

"Bonus":

[raison de arizona]

Thanks Bob! Direct link, 15 pages: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap ... .1.0_1.pdf

The opening salvo:

Defendant Media Matters for America (“Media Matters”) is a self-proclaimed media watchdog that decided it would not let the truth get in the way of a story it wanted to publish about X Corp. Looking to portray X’s social networking platform as being dominated by “white nationalist and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts on X Corp.’s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience on the platform. Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.

Media Matters engaged in “excessive scrolling and refreshing.”

[raison de arizona]

What Media Matters did: followed about 30 accounts, a mix of nazi crap and major advertisers. This caused the posts to be juxtaposed next to each other. X says this was unfair manipulation, and not organic.

[Greatgrey]

The lawsuit was (eventually) filed ... in N.D. Tex. (Ft. Worth Division).

In other words, Twitter X, a Nevada corporation, went judge shopping to sue a D.C. corporation and a Maryland resident.

The RWNJs have had success in ND Texas, remember Judge Kacsmaryk & mifepristone?

But they chose Ft Worth instead of Amarillo, so Elmo might not get the same benefits.

[Volkonski]

Far-right conspiracy theorists accused a 22-year-old Jewish man of being a neo-Nazi. Then Elon Musk got involved

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/business ... index.html

Ben Brody says his life was going fine. He had just finished college, stayed out of trouble, and was prepping for law school. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Elon Musk used his considerable social media clout to amplify an online mob’s misguided rants accusing the 22-year-old from California of being an undercover agent in a neo-Nazi group.

The claim, Brody told CNN, was as bizarre as it was baseless.

But the fact he bore a vague resemblance to a person allegedly in the group, that he was Jewish, and, that he once stated in a college fraternity profile posted online that he aspired to one day work for the government, was more than enough information for internet trolls to falsely conclude Brody was an undercover government agent (a “Fed”) planted inside the neo-Nazi group to make them look bad.

For Brody, the fallout was immediate. Overnight, he became a central character in a story spun by people seeking to deny and downplay the actions of hate groups in the United States today.

The lies and taunts, which Musk engaged with on social media, turned his life upside down, Brody said. At one point, he said, he and his mother had to flee their home for fear of being attacked.

Now, he’s fighting back.

Brody filed a defamation lawsuit last month against Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter. The suit seeks damages in excess of $1 million. Brody says he wants the billionaire to apologize and retract the false claims about him.

Brody’s lawyer—who is the same attorney who successfully sued conspiracy theorist Alex Jones over his lies about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre —said he hopes the suit will force one of the world’s richest and most powerful men to reckon with his careless and harmful online behavior.

Brody should ask for a lot more money.

[Sam the Centipede]

Brody should ask for a lot more money.

Might the relatively modest (compared to Musk's gazillions) be a deliberate ploy to make the audit more likely to succeed? I assume Brody would want attorney fees etc. on top, otherwise there'd be little left.

Or is it a "make us a sensible offer and this distraction will disappear" punt?

It did seem almost unAmerican not to demand at least an eight digit amount though!

[Slim Cognito]

What Media Matters did: followed about 30 accounts, a mix of nazi crap and major advertisers. This caused the posts to be juxtaposed next to each other. X says this was unfair manipulation, and not organic.

But if you are a person who posts a lot of Nazi crap, sooner or later one of them is going to be shown next to one of those advertisers, right? And if the advertisers don't want that risk, they get to leave, right?

[pipistrelle]

I don't know why it has to be adjacent. if I'm a big advertiser with a shred of ethics, I wouldn't want to enable a platform that (a) doesn't understand how the 1A works and (b) encourages a flood of toxicity as a result (and with an openly racist owner).

[Suranis]

I don't know why it has to be adjacent. if I'm a big advertiser with a shred of ethics, I wouldn't want to enable a platform that (a) doesn't understand how the 1A works and (b) encourages a flood of toxicity as a result (and with an openly racist owner).

In terms of the lawsuit, they probably have to prove that Medida Matters did something nefarious and deliberate to tarnish the company name. To admit the idea that IBM etc left regardless due to shitty Twitter policies would torpedo any possibility of a lawsuit, and would fracture Elon Musk's ego.

[raison de arizona]

Only the best.

Nugget from Elon Musk's suit against Media Matters.

Ex-AG employees Chris Hilton and Judd Stone among those who filed it

Both resigned in Oct after defending AG @KenPaxtonTX in his impeachment trial. Hilton served as chief of litigation division. Stone was solicitor general

https://x.com/AaronTorres_/status/17267 ... 41937?s=20

[bob]

In terms of the lawsuit, they probably have to prove that Medida Matters did something nefarious and deliberate to tarnish the company name. To admit the idea that IBM etc left regardless due to shitty Twitter policies would torpedo any possibility of a lawsuit, and would fracture Elon Musk's ego.

Yup: the intentional interference torts require exactly that: the defendants had to intend to interfere with Twitter's relationships with its advertisers (and potential advertisers). And that intent might be shown by a deliberate attempt to skew the feed, and publish the "skewed" feed, with the intent to scare of advertisers (and potential advertisers).

Others have predicted this case will be dismissed before or during discovery: Because if it goes to discovery, the defendants will want to see every text, email, memo, meeting minute, PowerPoint presentation, and greeting card from the company (and advertisers, and potential advertisers) that loudly warned Musk his desire to return the deplorables to the platform will cause advertisers to flee.

In other words, it was Musk's intent all along.

[raison de arizona]

Accountability? Or I'll yell BE ACCOUNTABLE again?

Antisemitic conspiracy theories, terrorist propaganda and disinformation are flourishing on @X under @elonmusk. @RepDanGoldman and I demand the platform seriously enforce its own policies. Mr. Musk, clean up your act.

Their demand letter: https://raskin.house.gov/_cache/files/9 ... o-musk.pdf

[raison de arizona]

Wow, look at the tough guy.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1726989224073896365?s=20

► Show Spoiler

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Rookie mistake. I see 5 different attacks I could make that he couldn't defend against from that stance.

[pipistrelle]

Rookie mistake. I see 5 different attacks I could make that he couldn't defend against from that stance.

Not knowledgeable but that stiff arm looks vulnerable.

[Estiveo]

That stance definitely restricts range of motion & initial reaction time, but it makes the arms almost look like they have muscles and, with the black shirt, helps hide his paunch & moobs.

[Frater I*I]

Wow, look at the tough guy.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1726989224073896365?s=20

I practiced battojutsu for a decade in my younger years, what the hell school taught him that stance...

[raison de arizona]

@heilhitler is trending, just to post shots of ads juxtaposed. Wonder how Jack in the Box feels about their ads commingled with #heilhitler?

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

I call this stance Red Panda. The only purpose it serves is to make you look like a threat. (google "scared red panda")

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Wow, look at the tough guy.

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1726989224073896365?s=20

I practiced battojutsu for a decade in my younger years, what the hell school taught him that stance...

I believe that is the opening stance of Ainoshitsu