Elon Musk sues his critics into silence. So much for ‘free speech.’

Elon Musk, self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” is demanding the government infringe on free speech rights. Despite his posturing as a defender of free expression, Musk is one of the nation’s most vexatious litigants against anybody who exercises their First Amendment rights in a way he doesn’t like. X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, posted a video on Tuesday explaining that the suit is part of the company’s noble pursuit of preserving “the global town square … the one place that you can express yourself freely and openly.” Yaccarino wore a pendant around her neck that read “FREE SPEECH.” On Thursday, GARM, citing its inability to handle legal fees that would likely run into the seven figures, simply shut its doors, ending all operations. Major corporations generally do not want to pay for ads running next to posts praising Adolf Hitler, among other noxious content that has flourished on X under Musk’s ownership. It’s the latest in a long line of Musk lawsuits seeking to silence his critics, a tactic known as a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP. He also endorsed the patently absurd criminal investigations into Media Matters launched by the Republican attorneys general of Texas and Missouri, already enjoined by a federal court as the obvious First Amendment violations they are. It’s the latest in a long line of Musk lawsuits seeking to silence his critics, a tactic known as a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP. Sometimes Musk’s interest in promoting censorship extends beyond his own critics, such as when he agreed to pay the legal fees of a Canadian anti-vaxxer who had sued a wide range of people for being mean to her. For many years, actual free speech advocates have been pushing for anti-SLAPP laws, which make it easier to promptly dismiss and receive legal fees for litigation targeting constitutionally protected speech. Unfortunately, there is no national anti-SLAPP law for lawsuits based on federal law claims, such as Musk’s antitrust theory. In the meantime, Musk’s anti-speech lawfare has its intended effect even when it could never plausibly reach a final decision in his favor. In addition to shutting down GARM, Media Matters recently laid off several employees, too, with many observers pointing to Musk’s litigation as a likely contributor. The tactic can be particularly effective aimed at nonprofits and individuals, whose relatively modest budgets simply cannot handle a protracted court battle with one of the world’s richest men. Beyond simply being a rich and powerful bully who can waste his own money on vexatious, performative litigation, Musk’s theory of “free speech” is a censorship wolf in sheep’s clothing. If it falls under nebulous labels like “cancel culture” or the “woke mind virus,” your speech is actually bad for speech and so shouldn’t be allowed. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/elon-musk-x-advertisers-lawsuit-social-media-rcna165605