The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) was given the grant in 2023 for “general support,” according to the Washington Free Beacon. The group has become a big backer in efforts to force social media platforms and advertisers to restrict what it calls “hate” or “disinformation,” often targeting outlets to the right.
The grant surfaces as CCDH remains locked in a public and legal battle with Elon Musk’s X. Musk sued the group last year after it released a report claiming hate speech had increased on the platform following his 2022 takeover. Musk has publicly accused the CCDH of attempting to damage X financially and has suggested he would pursue its donors.
Internal documents published by Racket News showed CCDH engineering a plan to “kill Musk’s Twitter” by urging advertisers to drop the platform. The group also met with at least 16 congressional offices and held policy discussions with Sen. Amy Klobuchar about online regulation, according to those memos.
Founded in 2018 by former Labour Party staffer Imran Ahmed, the CCDH has pressed major tech firms to pull advertising from conservative outlets such as the Federalist, Zero Hedge, the Daily Wire, and others. In one campaign, the group petitioned Google to remove ads from conservative outlets over comment sections it claimed contained racist content.
Rep. Jim Jordan subpoenaed the group in 2023 as part of a House investigation into alleged coordination between federal officials, tech companies, and censorship advocacy groups. CCDH does not publish a donor list, but tax documents show the organization brought in $2.1 million in 2023. Other known backers include the Skoll Fund, which contributed $415,000, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which added $403,175.
UK media have also reported that the Biden administration is considering revoking Ahmed’s US visa due to his group’s activities. Ahmed cofounded CCDH with Morgan McSweeney, now chief of staff to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
