Liam Walsh
Liam is a Co-Director at Intelligency and heads up the agency's Digital Intelligence & Paid Social activity. Over the last decade, he has worked with brands from the world of sports such as Premier League clubs to entertainment such as Channel 4 and Disney.
A recent report from The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has found that X is continuing to display ads alongside harmful and offensive content. The report has focused on the UK race riots and discovered that controversial commentary was appearing next to ads. Despite past assurances from the platform, this new finding further underscores ongoing concerns about the safety of the advertising environment on X.
Major Brands Found Advertising Next to Harmful Content
According to the CCDH, ads from companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, the British Medical Association and the International Olympics Committee have been found in close proximity to misinformation posts associated with the civil unrest and disorder in Southport. The report highlights that five key U.K. accounts pushing divisive narratives amassed 260 million views in just one week after the Southport attack on July 29.
X’s Revenue Sharing with Controversial Creators Raises Concerns
One of the most alarming revelations from the report is that many incendiary profiles posting about the riots are part of X’s Creator Ad Revenue Share Program. Simply, this means that X is compensating users who are spreading fake news and divisive content. This raises questions about the platform’s priorities, as it seems to incentivize harmful content rather than curb it. X has previously dismissed these concerns as fabrications however this new report merely reiterates that the platform isn’t preventing ads being displayed alongside damaging material.
The Free Speech Debate: Balancing Expression and Business Impact
Elon Musk, the owner of X, has been vocal about his belief in free speech on the platform. However, the reality remains that his platform’s decisions to amplify hate speech could result in some business consequences. Advertisers will likely think twice before opting to spend their budget on this platform.
