A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. against the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has been critical of the increase in hate speech on the social media platform since Musk acquired it. The lawsuit, which was filed in July, alleged that the center violated X's terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets to create reports on the rise of hate speech. X claimed that the reports led to the exodus of advertisers and a loss of millions of dollars in revenue.

In his order, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer stated that the lawsuit was "unabashedly and vociferously about one thing" - punishing the nonprofit for its speech. He found that X failed to prove that the center's data collection methods caused financial losses for the company. The center, which is a nonprofit organization with offices in the U.S. and UK, regularly publishes reports on hate speech and harmful behavior on social media platforms.

The founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Imran Ahmed, called the lawsuit a "hypocritical campaign of harassment" by Musk and emphasized the need for more transparency from tech companies. The center's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, hailed the dismissal of the suit as a victory against attempts to silence critics.

This lawsuit is just one of several challenges X has faced since Musk's acquisition of the platform in 2022. Last year, several big advertisers stopped spending on X after reports of their ads appearing alongside hateful content. Musk has been criticized for his management style and layoffs at the company, but he maintains that the platform is thriving. The judge's decision to dismiss the lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate is seen as a win for free speech advocates and a blow to attempts to stifle criticism of powerful tech companies.