Elon Musk's X Corp, the parent company of X, formerly known as Twitter, has filed a lawsuit against California's attorney general, Robert Bonta, challenging the state's new content moderation law, AB 587, according to CNN.

This law, signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2022, mandates that social media companies post their service terms online and provide semiannual reports to the state attorney general detailing their content moderation policies and practices.

Among the law's requirements are the disclosure of how automated content moderation systems function, definitions of controversial content categories such as "hate speech" and "disinformation," and the number of flagged or removed content pieces in these categories.

The law was designed to enhance transparency in social networks' content moderation practices.

However, in its complaint filed in California's Eastern District Court, X Corp alleges that the law infringes upon the First Amendment and California's constitution by potentially forcing the company to moderate politically charged speech by users.

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Elon Musk's X Corp.'s Lawsuit

The lawsuit that the X Corp. filed in federal court in Sacramento argues that California's content moderation law, AB 587, infringes upon the free speech rights of social media companies under both the U.S. and California constitutions, POLITICO noted.

According to X Corp, the law goes beyond mere disclosure requirements and forces companies to provide detailed information about their evaluation and regulation of vaguely defined categories of political speech.

The company claims that AB 587 compels it to engage in discussions about sensitive and controversial topics that it would rather avoid discussing, all to pressure X Corp to limit constitutionally protected content on its platform that the state finds objectionable or undesirable.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, the author of the legislation, countered that the law does not dictate specific content moderation policies but simply requires companies to report on how they control the content displayed on their platforms.

Gabriel argued that if Elon Musk's X Corp has nothing to hide, they should have no objection to the bill.

This legal challenge reflects the ongoing debate over how to address offensive and predatory content on social media platforms while respecting free speech rights and without infringing on federal laws, including Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Elon Musk and X

Under Elon Musk's leadership, X has been involved in various legal challenges as a plaintiff and defendant.

These challenges include disputes related to promised severance payments, refusal to pay rent and office fees, breach of contract with a regional jet company, a lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate over data collection, and threats to sue the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for defamation regarding warnings about anti-Semitism on the platform.

These legal issues reflect the complex legal landscape that X is navigating in areas such as content moderation, workplace policies, and public statements by its CEO.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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