![\"Pro-censorship](\"https:\/\/mf.b37mrtl.ru\/files\/2024.10\/xxs\/6718026885f54044412442fe.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/div>\nElon Musk speaks during a town hall for Donald Trump
\nin Oaks, Pennsylvania, October 18, 2024
\n<\/span>\u00a9\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Getty Images \/ Alex Wong<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe Center for Countering Digital Hate, a UK-based nonprofit tied to the Labour Party, aims to\u00a0\u201ckill\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Elon Musk\u2019s X platform with help from top Democrats in Washington, according to internal documents leaked by a whistleblower. Musk has declared\u00a0\u201cwar\u201d<\/em>\u00a0on the organization in response.<\/p>\nIn several monthly planners distributed to staffers this year, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) lists\u00a0\u201cKill Musk\u2019s Twitter\u201d<\/em>\u00a0as its top annual priority, according to files leaked to journalists Matt Taibbi and Paul Thacker and published on Tuesday. CCDH staffers have been told that they will\u00a0\u201cfocus\u201d<\/em>\u00a0on advertising,\u00a0\u201ctrigger EU and UK regulatory action,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cprogress towards change in USA and support for STAR.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nAn acronym for \u2018Safety, Transparency, Accountability and Responsibility\u2019, STAR is a proposed censorship bill that would create an\u00a0\u201cindependent digital regulator\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in the US who could\u00a0\u201cimpose consequences for harmful content.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nIn its efforts to build support for these goals, the CCDH contacted Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) in May, and organized an invitation-only conference in Washington the following month, which whistleblowers claimed was attended by a senior adviser at the White House, a Democratic Party staffer in the office of Representative Adam Schiff (D-California), US State Department officials, and the vice president of Media Matters for America, a Democrat-aligned \u2018watchdog\u2019 group.<\/p>\n
Musk sued Media Matters earlier this year after the organization released a report claiming that advertisements could be seen alongside pro-Nazi posts on X. Musk called the report\u00a0\u201cmanufactured,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and his lawsuit alleges that its sole purpose was to\u00a0\u201cdrive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nMusk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, rebranding the platform as X and rolling back most of its censorship policies. Within days of Musk\u2019s purchase, the White House announced the creation of the now-defunct \u2018Disinformation Governance Board,\u2019 ridiculed by conservatives and free speech advocates as an Orwellian\u00a0\u201cMinistry of Truth.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0A week later, the CCDH joined two dozen other liberal NGOs in calling for an advertiser boycott of X.<\/p>\nThe CCDH was founded by Morgan McSweeney, chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former director of Labour Together, a think tank closely associated with Starmer\u2019s Labour Party. Labour Together has been advising US Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 election campaign, and more than 100 Labour Party activists are currently campaigning for Harris in the US.<\/p>\n
CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed, who worked with McSweeney at Labour Together, aided Starmer\u2019s rise to power by leading advertiser boycotts against his left-wing opponents. Among these opponents was \u2018The Canary\u2019, a leftist news site driven out of business over accusations of anti-Semitism from the CCDH and its subsidiary, \u2018Stop Funding Fake News\u2019.<\/p>\n
In the US, the CCDH has lobbied the White House to censor Covid-19-related\u00a0\u201cdisinformation,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0unsuccessfully tried to get similar content banned from Substack, and led multiple campaigns against Musk.<\/p>\nAccording to internal documents, Ahmed is aware that the CCDH\u2019s activities risk crossing a line between advocacy and lobbying, which is illegal for nonprofits. Before scheduling meetings with lawmakers earlier this year, someone in the organization advised staff to\u00a0\u201cunderstand our limitations\u201d<\/em>\u00a0as a nonprofit organization, but still to\u00a0\u201cinch towards our goal of regulatory action.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a UK-based nonprofit tied to the Labour Party, aims to\u00a0\u201ckill\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Elon Musk\u2019s X platform with help from top Democrats in Washington, according to internal documents leaked by a whistleblower. Musk has declared\u00a0\u201cwar\u201d<\/em>\u00a0on the organization in response.<\/p>\n In several monthly planners distributed to staffers this year, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) lists\u00a0\u201cKill Musk\u2019s Twitter\u201d<\/em>\u00a0as its top annual priority, according to files leaked to journalists Matt Taibbi and Paul Thacker and published on Tuesday. CCDH staffers have been told that they will\u00a0\u201cfocus\u201d<\/em>\u00a0on advertising,\u00a0\u201ctrigger EU and UK regulatory action,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cprogress towards change in USA and support for STAR.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n An acronym for \u2018Safety, Transparency, Accountability and Responsibility\u2019, STAR is a proposed censorship bill that would create an\u00a0\u201cindependent digital regulator\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in the US who could\u00a0\u201cimpose consequences for harmful content.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In its efforts to build support for these goals, the CCDH contacted Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) in May, and organized an invitation-only conference in Washington the following month, which whistleblowers claimed was attended by a senior adviser at the White House, a Democratic Party staffer in the office of Representative Adam Schiff (D-California), US State Department officials, and the vice president of Media Matters for America, a Democrat-aligned \u2018watchdog\u2019 group.<\/p>\n Musk sued Media Matters earlier this year after the organization released a report claiming that advertisements could be seen alongside pro-Nazi posts on X. Musk called the report\u00a0\u201cmanufactured,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and his lawsuit alleges that its sole purpose was to\u00a0\u201cdrive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, rebranding the platform as X and rolling back most of its censorship policies. Within days of Musk\u2019s purchase, the White House announced the creation of the now-defunct \u2018Disinformation Governance Board,\u2019 ridiculed by conservatives and free speech advocates as an Orwellian\u00a0\u201cMinistry of Truth.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0A week later, the CCDH joined two dozen other liberal NGOs in calling for an advertiser boycott of X.<\/p>\n The CCDH was founded by Morgan McSweeney, chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and former director of Labour Together, a think tank closely associated with Starmer\u2019s Labour Party. Labour Together has been advising US Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 election campaign, and more than 100 Labour Party activists are currently campaigning for Harris in the US.<\/p>\n CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed, who worked with McSweeney at Labour Together, aided Starmer\u2019s rise to power by leading advertiser boycotts against his left-wing opponents. Among these opponents was \u2018The Canary\u2019, a leftist news site driven out of business over accusations of anti-Semitism from the CCDH and its subsidiary, \u2018Stop Funding Fake News\u2019.<\/p>\n In the US, the CCDH has lobbied the White House to censor Covid-19-related\u00a0\u201cdisinformation,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0unsuccessfully tried to get similar content banned from Substack, and led multiple campaigns against Musk.<\/p>\n According to internal documents, Ahmed is aware that the CCDH\u2019s activities risk crossing a line between advocacy and lobbying, which is illegal for nonprofits. Before scheduling meetings with lawmakers earlier this year, someone in the organization advised staff to\u00a0\u201cunderstand our limitations\u201d<\/em>\u00a0as a nonprofit organization, but still to\u00a0\u201cinch towards our goal of regulatory action.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n