IBM has suspended advertising on X, formerly known as Twitter, due to concerns about their ads appearing alongside content praising Adolf Hitler and Nazism.
The company expressed strong disapproval, calling it “completely unacceptable” for their ads to be linked to such threads on the platform.
X clarified that they don’t intentionally place brands near such content and highlighted their measures, including not allowing extremist content to earn advertising revenue and labeling sensitive posts.
However, they faced criticism after IBM ads were found adjacent to pro-Nazi content.
Other companies like Apple, Oracle, Bravo, and Xfinity were also named in connection to similar instances.
IBM took immediate action, suspending all advertising on X while investigating the situation, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy toward hate speech and discrimination.
X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, reiterated the platform’s stance against discrimination and antisemitism, emphasizing the need to stop such behaviors universally.
She highlighted X’s efforts to combat discrimination and expressed a strong stance against antisemitism.
Meanwhile, X’s owner, Elon Musk, faced backlash after appearing to support an antisemitic conspiracy theory in a tweet, leading to criticism from watchdog groups like Media Matters for America.
Musk denied being antisemitic and clarified that his comments were not directed at all Jewish people but at specific groups.
In response to Musk’s remarks, the ADL’s CEO cautioned against validating and promoting antisemitic theories, particularly given the rise of antisemitism globally.
Musk has previously clashed with social media watchdogs over content moderation and accused pressure groups of impacting advertising revenue on the platform.
Despite X’s claims of having robust brand safety controls, outside groups disagree, citing concerns about hate speech and extremism persisting on the platform.
Musk has made legal threats against certain groups, including the ADL, and has canceled public appearances due to schedule changes, including at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Source-BBC
