Tech giant IBM has halted its advertising on X, formerly Twitter, following a report revealing that its ads were appearing alongside pro-Nazi content on the micro-blogging platform, the media has reported. The report comes a day after X boss Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic post on the platform, which falsely claimed members of the Jewish community were inciting hatred against white people, says a report by news agency Reuters.
This comes amid X CEO Linda Yaccarino trying to win back advertisers that have been leaving the platform after Musk acquired it last year. According to researchers and advocacy groups, there has been an increase in controversial content on X, but the company has refuted these claims.
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Media watchdog Media Matters said it found that corporate advertisements by IBM, iPhone maker Apple, Oracle and Comcast's Xfinity were being placed alongside antisemitic content, the Reuters report added.
"IBM has zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this entirely unacceptable situation," IBM was quoted as saying in a statement by Reuters.
According to a CNBC report, a spokesperson for X stated that the accounts flagged by Media Matters for posting hateful content would no longer be eligible for monetisation. Additionally, the accompanying content would be marked as not safe for work, restricting its visibility.
Meanwhile, the X and SpaceX owner and tech billionaire recently expressed his aspiration to transform the micro-blogging platform into a leading dating and job recruitment site, emphasising increased video live-streaming for sports as well as political events. In a meeting with X employees and CEO Yaccarino, Musk highlighted a focus on evaluating individuals based on their past posts on the platform.