The European Comission and other major advertisers they stop advertising on X (Twitter) for its anti-Semitic and misleading content. The controversy directly involves Elon Musk, owner of the company since last year, who showed his support this week for a publication that stated that Jewish communities support “dialectical hatred against whites.” “You have told the absolute truth,” the tycoon said last Wednesday.
As reported Political, the European Commission decided to curb its ads on the platform due to “widespread concerns related to the spread of disinformation,” according to an internal memo. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, had complained in early October that X (Twitter) was not removing false and misleading content about Hamas’s attack on Israel.
The deputy spokesperson for the European Commission, Dana Spinant, explained that the new measure would also have to do with messages related to the conflict in the Middle East. The official said that she had recommended herself “temporarily suspend” advertising on X (Twitter) until further notice. With this measure they seek avoid damage to the ‘Commission’s reputation’.
It is worth mentioning that the different services of the European Union may continue to use X (Twitter) as a means of communication. However, payments to Elon Musk’s company for the use of its advertising service have been stopped. Going forward, the European Commission will explore other avenues for advertising on the web. According to the aforementioned spokesperson, different possibilities will be analyzed, including other social networks such as Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.
The European Commission stops advertising on X (Twitter) and joins the exodus of advertisers
The European Commission thus joins the new exodus of advertisers from X (Twitter). Days ago, the non-profit organization Media Matters for America public a report in which he highlighted that advertisements from technology companies such as Apple, IBM, Amazon and Oracle were shown next to far-right publications. Some were anti-Semitic messages. Accordingly, he reported Axios This Friday, those from Cupertino stopped all their advertising on the platform.
IBM, for its part, said Thursday that it had done the same after discovering that its ads were appearing on X (Twitter) alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. “IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this totally unacceptable situation,” the company said in a statement.
The arrival of Elon Musk to the social network resulted in less moderation, with an argument in favor of freedom of expression. Consequently, different organizations have warned about the increase in hate speech on the platform. The tweets Anti-Semites, for example, doubled in the Musk era.
New accounts on X (Twitter) that publish anti-Semitic content they tripled Since then, it reflects research by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an organization dedicated to investigating disinformation and hate campaigns around the world. Musk has also reestablished several accounts of far-right fans who are openly misogynistic and violent against the LGBT+ community.
The case of Kanye West — who now calls himself Ye — is illustrative. Musk enabled the rapper’s account in November 2022, along with those of other users such as Donald Trump or the influencer Andrew Tate. Just two weeks later, he had to close it again after West praised Hitler. And in July, again, he allowed her to return to the platform.
Even the White House spoke out
“It was an abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitism,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said of Elon Musk’s recent post. The official insisted that it was “unacceptable” to repeat such a “dreadful lie.”
More than 160 rabbis and Jewish activists they intensified their call to Apple, Google, Amazon and Disney so they would stop advertising on X (Twitter). They also ask that both those from Cupertino and Mountain View remove the social network from the App Store and the Play Store, respectively.
To try to put out the fires, Linda Yaccarino, the company’s CEO, said in a post that they have been “extremely clear” about their efforts to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination. «There is no place for this anywhere in the world; It’s ugly and it’s wrong. Final point”he published on his profile.
An X (Twitter) executive told Axios that the company had already done “a sweep of the accounts that Media Matters found,” and that they would no longer be monetizable. He explained that anti-Semitic posts will be labeled “sensitive.”