In response to an antitrust lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X/Twitter earlier this week, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) announced it would shut down the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) initiative, which organized an advertising blacklist to censor conservatives.
Business Insider Reports In an email to members on Thursday, WFA CEO Stephan Loerke said the decision to suspend GARM was “not taken lightly,” citing the organization’s limited resources as a nonprofit. The move comes just two days after X (formerly Twitter) filed an antitrust lawsuit in a Texas court. X alleges that GARM members conspired to illegally conceal billions of dollars in advertising revenue from the social media platform.
The House Judiciary Committee is also investigating GARM’s impact on the advertising market.
#breaking news: The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is closing.
A major victory for the First Amendment.
A big win for the manager.
— House Judiciary Committee Republicans 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) August 8, 2024
Musk’s lawsuit has sent shock waves through the advertising industry, as it also names GARM members Unilever, Mars, CVS and Orsted as defendants. Despite the allegations, Rörke said the WFA and GARM intend to challenge the claims in court and are confident the outcome will demonstrate that they comply with competition rules in all their activities.
Breitbart News has previously reported on GARM, which has been accused of censoring the media on political grounds.
The House Judiciary Committee said a congressional investigation recently uncovered clear political bias within GARM’s leadership, which is using the group to control online speech and silence conservatives. report It was released last month.
For example, GARM co-founder Rob Rakowitz once complained in an email about “online free speech advocates” and “extreme international interpretations of the U.S. Constitution,” which he also criticized as being written “only by white men.”
X’s lawsuit alleges that GARM persuaded top brands to refrain from advertising on the platform after its acquisition by Elon Musk in 2022. The acquisition led to major changes, including the firing of numerous sales and safety staff and the reinstatement of previously banned accounts. As a result, Twitter’s advertising revenue fell significantly and many major advertisers withdrew from the platform.
GARM’s suspension has drawn mixed reactions, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino posting to the platform, “What is monetized should not be monopolized by a small group. This is an important recognition and a necessary step in the right direction. We hope it means ecosystem-wide reform is on the way,” while House Judiciary Committee spokesman Russell Dye called the development “a major win for the First Amendment and a major win for Chairman Jordan’s oversight work.”
Click here for details Read more from Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
