Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk during a heated discussion on the dangers of artificial intelligence with UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, in London, UK, on Thursday, November 2, 2023. Sunak called this week’s AI summit. In an effort to place the UK at the forefront of global efforts to address the risks presented by rapidly increasing technology which, in the Prime Minister’s own words, could lead to human extinction. Photographer: Tolga Ekmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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IBM Advertising on X has been halted following a report that the tech company’s ads were placed next to anti-Semitic content on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“IBM has a zero tolerance for hate speech and discrimination and we have immediately suspended all advertising on X while we investigate this completely unacceptable situation,” an IBM spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. ”
Media Matters for America published a report Wednesday saying the media watchdog group “recently found ads from Apple, Bravo, Oracle, Xfinity and IBM next to posts about Hitler and his Nazi Party on telling.”
X CEO Linda Yaccarino is attempting to win back advertisers who dropped their campaigns after Elon Musk bought the company last year. Researchers and advocacy groups have documented an increase in controversial content on X, although the company has denied those claims.
An X spokesperson told CNBC in an email that accounts that Media Matters said were posting hateful content would no longer be monetizable. The accompanying material will also be labeled as not safe for work, thereby limiting its accessibility.
“X’s advertising system is not intentionally placing any brand next to this type of content, nor is any brand actively trying to endorse this content with placement,” the spokesperson said. “Groups like Media Matters aggressively search for posts on X and then visit accounts, and if they see an ad, Media Matters researchers keep refreshing to capture as many brands as possible.”
a spokesperson for ComcastThe company, which owns Bravo and is also the parent of CNBC, said it is investigating the situation.
Apple And Oracle Did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
IBM’s decision to stop advertising on X also comes after Musk drew attention to an anti-Semitic X post on Wednesday and issued a statement, which drew a backlash from critics. In one post, Musk criticized the Anti-Defamation League, alleging that the nonprofit “unjustly attacks the majority of the West, despite the majority of the West supporting the Jewish people and Israel.” ”
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt responded in a post on “Using the influence of is undeniably dangerous.”
Yaccarino continued writing on Thursday x The company’s “view has always been clear that discrimination must stop by everyone across the board – I think that’s something we can agree on and everyone should agree on.”
“When it comes to this platform – X has also been extremely clear about our efforts to combat anti-Semitism and discrimination,” Yaccarino wrote. “There is no place for this anywhere in the world – it’s ugly and wrong. Full stop.”
As a result of Musk’s recent inflammatory comments, a coalition of 163 Jewish leaders released a statement on Thursday under the banner The call was repeated.
The group also “called on Apple and Google to remove X from their respective app stores in accordance with their rules.”
X Out Hate originally expressed its concern over anti-Semitic and hateful content in September.
“It’s been two months since we originally called on big advertisers like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Disney to stop investing money in X as anti-Semitism spread on the platform,” the group said in a statement. “Nothing has changed. Except the danger in which Jews are.”
– CNBC Jordan Novet contributed to this report
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