There’s rising worry among advertisers as they see their promotions displayed next to content supporting the Nazis on the formerly known Twitter platform. number of marketers are deserting the social media network
X, previously called Twitter: Because they are troubled about their advertisements appearing alongside pro-Nazi content and hate speech. The billionaire owner, Elon Musk, has also aggravated the situation with his own posts supporting an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
IBM announced this week that it halted advertising on X after a report revealed that its ads were being shown along with content praising Nazis—a recent setback as the platform strives to win back major brands and their advertising revenue, X’s primary income source.
The progressive advocacy group Media Matters has disclosed that ads from Apple, Oracle, NBCUniversal’s Bravo network, and Comcast were also placed alongside anti-Semitic content on X. “IBM has an absolute intolerance towards hate speech and discrimination, and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this completely unacceptable situation,” the company stated publicly.
‘You have stated the real truth’ The European Union’s executive division also declared that it is pausing advertising on X and other social media platforms, partly due to a surge in hate speech. Later in the day, Disney, Lionsgate, and Paramount Global also mentioned that they were suspending or pausing advertising on X.
Musk sparked an uproar this week with his own tweets, responding to a user who accused Jews of hating white people and expressing indifference to antisemitism. “You have acknowledged the actual truth,” Musk tweeted.
Musk has been accused of tolerating anti-Semitic messages on the platform since acquiring it last year, and the content on X has faced heightened scrutiny since the conflict between Israel and Hamas commenced.
“We denounce this repulsive promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which is contrary to our fundamental values as Americans,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Friday in response to Musk’s tweet.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino stated that X’s “stance has always been very clear that discrimination by everyone should cease across the board.”
“I think that is something we can all agree on,” she tweeted on Thursday. Combating antisemitism Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal executive, was recruited by Musk to revive relations with advertisers who departed after he assumed control, concerned that his relaxation of content restrictions was allowing hateful and toxic speech to thrive, which could harm their brands.
“Regarding this platform, X has also been exceedingly clear about our efforts to combat antisemitism and discrimination. There’s no place for it anywhere in the world; it’s ugly and incorrect. Full stop,” Yaccarino expressed.
The accounts identified by Media Matters for posting antisemitic content will no longer be monetizable, and the specific posts will be tagged as “sensitive media,” according to a statement from X. Nevertheless, Musk criticized Media Matters as “an evil organization.”
The head of the Anti-Defamation League also retaliated against Musk’s tweets this week, marking the latest clash between the prominent Jewish civil-rights organization and the wealthy businessman.
“At a time when antisemitism is spreading in America and escalating globally, it is undeniably hazardous to use one’s influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt commented on X.