The European Commission is stopping advertising on X (Twitter) due to its misleading and anti-Semitic content.

European Commission and other major advertisers They’re stopping advertising on X (Twitter) for its anti-Semitic and misleading content. The controversy directly implicates Elon Musk, the company’s owner since last year, who this week showed his support for a publication that said Jewish communities support “dialectical hatred of whites.” “You told the absolute truth” the tycoon said last Wednesday.

Reportedly PoliticalThe European Commission decided to limit its advertising on the platform due to “widespread concerns about the spread of disinformation,” according to an internal memo. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, complained in early October that X (Twitter) was not removing false and misleading content about the Hamas attack on Israel.

European Commission Deputy Spokesperson Dana Spinant explained that the new measure will also be linked to communications related to the conflict in the Middle East. The official said this was recommended. “temporarily pause” advertising on X (Twitter) until further notice. With this measure they strive avoid damaging the “reputation of the Commission”.

It is worth noting that various EU services 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 were stopped. In the future, the European Commission will explore other possibilities for advertising on the Internet. According to the aforementioned representative, various possibilities will be analyzed, including other social networks such as Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

European Commission stops advertising on X (Twitter) and joins advertiser exodus

The European Commission is therefore joining the new exodus of advertisers from X (Twitter). A few days ago, a non-profit organization Media Matters to America published a report highlighting how advertisements from technology companies such as Apple, IBM, Amazon and Oracle were shown next to far-right publications. Some of them were anti-Semitic messages. Consequently, he reported Axios This Friday, Cupertino residents stopped all their advertising on the platform.

IBM, for its part, said Thursday it did the same after discovering 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 completely unacceptable situation,” the company said in a statement.

The arrival of Elon Musk on the social network led to a decrease in moderation and the emergence of arguments in favor of freedom of speech. Consequently, various organizations have warned of a rise in hate speech on the platform. Tweets The number of anti-Semites, for example, has doubled in the Musk era.

New accounts on X (Twitter) posting anti-Semitic content they tripled It has since reflected research from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an organization dedicated to investigating disinformation and hate campaigns around the world. Musk has also reinstated several far-right fan accounts that are openly misogynistic and aggressive towards the LGBT+ community.

A case in point is Kanye West, who now calls himself Ye. Musk activated the rapper’s account in November 2022, along with the accounts of other users such as Donald Trump and influencer Andrew Tate. Just two weeks later he was forced to close it again after West praised Hitler. And in July he was allowed to return to the platform again.

Even the White House has spoken out

“This was disgusting propaganda of anti-Semitism.” White House spokesman Andrew Bates commented on Elon Musk’s recent publication. The official said it was “unacceptable” to repeat such a “terrible lie”.

More than 160 rabbis and Jewish activists have stepped up their call Apple, Google, Amazon and Disney so that they stop advertising on X (Twitter). They are also asking residents of Cupertino and Mountain View to remove the social network from the App Store and Play Store, respectively.

In an effort to put out the fire, Linda Yaccarino, the company’s CEO, said in a post that they were being “extremely clear” about their efforts to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination. “This has no place anywhere in the world; It’s ugly and it’s wrong. End point”he posted on his profile.

One of the leaders of X (Twitter) spoke about this. Axios that the company has already conducted a “verification of the accounts discovered by Media Matters” and that they will no longer be monetized. He explained that anti-Semitic posts would be marked as “sensitive.”