Twitter is facing trouble over accounts posting child pornographic content on the microblogging platform. Prominent brands such as Dyson, Forbes, Mazda, and PBS Kids have suspended their marketing campaign on Twitter because their advertisements appeared alongside tweets soliciting child pornography. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who dropped his $44-billion takeover plan of Twitter, reacted to the brand’s response to child pornography on the platform. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has blocked several accounts on Twitter over child pornography.
Brands such as Walt Disney, NBC Universal, Coca-Cola, and even a children’s hospital were among more than 30 advertisers that appeared on the profile pages of Twitter accounts peddling links to the exploitative material, according to a Reuters review of accounts identified in new research about child sex abuse online from cybersecurity group Ghost Data.
Some of the tweets include keywords related to "rape" and "teens," and appeared alongside promoted tweets from corporate advertisers, the review found. In one example, a promoted tweet for shoe and accessories brand Cole Haan appeared next to a tweet where a user said they were "trading teen/child" content.
"We're horrified," David Maddocks, brand president at Cole Haan, said after being notified that the company's ads appeared alongside such tweets. "Either Twitter is going to fix this, or we'll fix it by any means we can, which includes not buying Twitter ads."
In another example, a user tweeted searching for content of "Yung girls ONLY, NO Boys," which was immediately followed by a promoted tweet for Texas-based Scottish Rite Children's Hospital. Scottish Rite did not return multiple requests for comment.
In a statement, Twitter spokesperson Celeste Carswell said the company "has zero tolerance for child sexual exploitation" and is investing more resources dedicated to child safety, including hiring for new positions to write policy and implement solutions.
She added that Twitter is working closely with its advertising clients and partners to investigate and take steps to prevent the situation from happening again.
Musk commented on the Reuters report on Twitter, saying that the situation was “extremely concerning”.
Musk is scheduled to depose in front of lawyers for Twitter and respond to questions ahead of an October trial that will determine the course of his $44-billion acquisition to acquire the social platform after trying to pull out of the deal. The deposition will not be public. It is not yet known if the billionaire entrepreneur will appear in person or by video. The trial is set to begin on October 17 in Delaware Chancery Court and last for five days.
Earlier this week, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police said it had blocked 23 accounts on Twitter for showing child pornographic content. Police said they received information regarding the links showing child pornography on September 20.
"After receiving the information, we immediately registered an FIR on September 20 and seized the evidence. We wrote to Twitter to block the accounts and sought details of the accounts from the microblogging site," a senior police officer said.
(With inputs from Reuters)