UX fights Andrew Tate’s attempt to expose his critics

IX is fighting for its users’ right to anonymity against right-wing activists and accused human traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who want to expose their critics online.

The Tate brothers sued the owners of more than a dozen social media accounts – most of them using fake names – last year, saying the accounts engaged in a “conspiracy” to defame them. After a Florida court ruled claims could not be brought against the anonymous defendants, they filed an amended complaint against the users they identified and a complaint against X demanding that it disclose the anonymous account holders so they could go after them. Last month, an attorney for the self-proclaimed Doe defendants filed for a protective order seeking to block their information from disclosure. Now, in a May 11 response, X has objected again — saying among several other legal flaws, the request puts First Amendment rights at risk.

“The United States Supreme Court has long recognized that the right to speak anonymously on the Internet, including social media, is protected,” the complaint said. While these protections are not absolute, it says, the case still does not satisfy the First Amendment protections needed to prevent chilling effects — and “prevent participation in the marketplace of ideas for fear that they may be exposed to the expression of potentially unpopular views.”

The accounts in question track legal action against Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed woman accused of raping and trafficking people in the UK and Romania, and his brother, who is also accused of similar offences. The two deny the charges. In their original complaint, the Tates said some of the allegedly defamatory statements posted on the accounts included calling Andrew Tate a “compulsive liar” and a “son-in-law.” UX and an attorney for the Tate brothers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The legal battle involves various groups affiliated with MAGA. The Tate brothers were returned to the US in 2025, reportedly with the help of the Trump administration. X owner Elon Musk – who was also sometimes close to Trump – helped to increase their presence on the Internet in the past, restoring Tate’s Twitter account in 2022 after taking power. But Musk has positioned himself (controversially) as a “fan of free speech” while taking a particularly strong stance on anything he considers “doxing” for X’s demands. Tate – revealing information about users with the intention of stopping them from speaking – may look like abandoning both of these principles at the same time.

Nathan Pope, the social media creator Gadget, was initially named under his online pseudonym in the brothers’ original complaint against him and other defendants. In a later amended complaint, Pope (who does not hide his identity online) is named specifically. In an email to The Verge.

“The right to speak anonymously is part of the First Amendment, and the First Amendment applies to the Internet. And many courts have combined these two concepts to protect anonymous Internet speakers from disclosure, because that’s what the Constitution requires,” said Cathy Gellis, an attorney who writes about Internet law. The Verge in the email. Actually, though it can depend on various factors because “it can be difficult for anonymous speakers to get the advice they need to fight these disclosure efforts as quickly and cheaply as they might need. Sometimes the platforms themselves can and do try to block the tools to find information to protect their user communities, but it is not always possible to do it every time it appears.”

Pope said defending the Tates’ claims “comes at great financial cost,” and the defendants are getting their legal support. “I am happy that X chose to challenge these efforts and defend the principle that people should be able to express their opinions and discuss public figures without fear of being threatened by the legal system.”