A controversial advertising coalition is attracting attention from one of Congress’ most influential House committees, with critics arguing that it is facilitating collusion among corporations to silence certain political messages.
The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) describes itself as a “cross-industry initiative” that began as part of the Global Alliance of Advertisers and, according to a spokesperson, was “established in 2019 to help the advertising industry address the challenges of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms and monetization through advertising.”
“This was put in place in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings, where the attacker live-streamed the attack on Facebook,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “It follows a series of high-profile incidents of brands appearing next to illegal or harmful content, such as child pornography and content promoting terrorism, including the 2017 exposé in the Times of London titled ‘Big brands fund terrorism through online advertising’.”
The group claims to be “non-political” and “voluntary,” and says it benefits its members by providing “resources and information on best practices to know how their advertising dollars are being spent, and to ensure that ads don’t appear next to illegal or harmful content that could damage a brand’s reputation.”
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The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) has drawn the ire of the House Judiciary Committee. (Fox News)
“GARM provides a voluntary framework to allow brands to choose what content they want their ads to appear next to,” its website says.
But GARM’s critics have a different view of the group, arguing it promotes boycotts targeting conservatives and conspires with dozens of major US companies to suppress speech.
In discussing his views on free speech, GARM leader and co-founder Rob Rakowitz complained about the “overly global interpretation of the US Constitution” and the “literal application of ‘governance principles’ as 230-year-old law (created exclusively by white men).” Based on this worldview, GARM promoted what it called “exceptional cooperation” to “go beyond individual commercial interests.”
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October 13: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) speaks to reporters as House Republicans caucus at the Longworth Congressional Office Building in Washington, DC on October 13, 2023. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The House Judiciary Committee has a wide range of Report Overview “Large corporations, advertising agencies and industry groups have joined in boycotts and other concerted actions to block the monetization of platforms, podcasts, news publishers and other content that GARM and its members find unpalatable,” the group believes.
GARM has allegedly worked with major corporations to crack down on advertising against Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Spotify, political candidates, and media outlets, including Fox News, The Daily Wire, and Breitbart News.
“The Commission’s oversight has revealed that GARM has strayed significantly from its original intent and has used its enormous market power to demonetize opinions and views with which it disagrees, even intervening in situations where there are no so-called ‘brand safety’ concerns,” Commission Chairman Jim Jordan wrote in a letter to more than 40 companies last week.
“Through its monitoring, the Committee has learned of collusive activity occurring within the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), of which your company is a member. In particular, the Committee has found evidence of coordinated action by GARM and its member companies, including boycotts of objectionable social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets.”
“The Judiciary Committee oversees the adequacy and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws,” the letter said.
The letter was sent to a variety of companies, including Adidas, American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS and General Motors, and asked them to preserve documentation related to their involvement in GARM.
Musk has openly criticized GARM, Take legal action He condemned the group, calling it an “advertising boycott scam.”
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Activist Rob Rakowitz is president of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. (Getty Images/Beat TV/Youtube)
WFA spokesman Will Gilroy told Fox News Digital this week that “recent allegations by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee about GARM’s anti-competitive conduct are without merit.”
“GARM membership is completely voluntary; the GARM framework and tools are intentionally broad, and companies are free to explore, adopt, modify or reject them as they see fit,” says Gilroy. “The decision of when and where to advertise is always up to each advertiser, working with their agency partners as appropriate.”
“Recent interactions with industry leaders demonstrate that GARM’s work remains valuable and increasingly important as digital media continues to evolve,” he continued, “so GARM will continue to deliver on its commitment to help its members drive more responsible marketing practices.”
