Two prominent organizations, Gilead Sciences and NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, made the decision to pause their advertising on X after their ads were found on a pro-Hitler account. The account, called “New American Union,” featured content sympathetic to Hitler and the Nazis. Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, reported on this issue and listed several brands whose ads appeared on the profile, including the Atlanta Falcons, Major League Baseball, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, Office Depot, Samsung, Gallup, and USA Today.
Upon receiving an explanation from X, Gilead Sciences and NCTA lifted their pause and resumed advertising on the platform. However, NCTA disputed this claim and stated that their pause was still in effect. The “New American Union” account has since been suspended. X clarified that the brands whose ads appeared on the profile were simply following individual users who happened to be on the pro-Nazi account, and no brand specifically requested to be associated with it.
NCTA expressed concern over the responsible placement of their ads and vowed to prioritize brand safety. As a result, they will suspend advertising on X for the foreseeable future and limit their organic presence on the platform. Gilead Sciences has not yet provided a comment on the matter.
X explained that brands follow people in terms of targeting, and if those people happen to visit a specific profile, the brands may appear on that profile. However, the company emphasized that brands do not actively seek to be associated with controversial accounts like “New American Union.”
X further stated that the account in question had minimal followers and lacked significant reach and virality. The ad impressions that did run were negligible. X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, has been working to win back advertisers who left the platform after Elon Musk’s acquisition. The company plans to evaluate changes and tweaks to their control settings for advertisers.
Under Yaccarino’s leadership, X has implemented a content moderation policy titled “freedom of speech, not reach.” Content that is deemed “awful but lawful” is labeled and de-amplified, meaning it receives less visibility and monetization.
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