On Tuesday, over a dozen lawmakers accused X of hosting ads glorifying Hamas, while Paris Hilton joined the advertiser exodus.
A group of Democrats signed the complaint letter addressed to X CEO Linda Yakarino and owner Elon Musk. It cited analyses from various groups, including the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), NewsGuard, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD).
The complainants protested that the platform is benefiting from the spread of the Hamas terror group’s propaganda. They cited certain premium and regular accounts that spread Hamas’ ideology through public posts and paid ads.
One of the highlighted sources is a TTP report of premium X subscribers sharing footage of Hamas fighters committing violence. Moreover, the record included videos of people bearing iconography from the culprits behind the October 07 massacre.
A NewsGuard’s Misinformation Monitor study also claimed 74.00% of misinformation on X about the Israel-Hamas War came from verified accounts. In addition, their posts promoting unsubstantiated narratives have received at least 100.00 million views globally.
California Representative Adam Schiff said X’s significant content layoffs moderators were, in effect, a tacit approval of terrorist propaganda. Schiff added that a lack of moderation in one of the world’s most popular social media platforms is unacceptable.
The call from House Democrats amplifies the denouncement of X’s tolerance of extremist content. X now faces both legal and financial pressure from legislators and advertisers.
Paris Hilton Ends Her Company’s Advertising on X
On October 02, CEO Yaccarino announced an exclusive partnership with Paris Hilton’s 11:11 Media with much fanfare. Yaccarino touted the long-term collaboration as a launchpad for new initiatives in live video, live commerce, and more.
Not even two months later, Hilton announced that her company has opted out of its marketing deal with X. 11:11 Media becomes the latest brand to pause ad spending on the social media platform amid concerns about anti-Semitic content.
IBM, Warner Brothers, Apple, Discovery, and Sony headed the advertiser departure from the site formerly known as Twitter. Watchdog group Media Matters triggered the commotion after it reported X showing ads that promote hate speech and terrorism.
Elon Musk sued Media Matters on Monday, claiming that the images it used in its report were altered.
