A CBS News investigation found that paid advertisements from major organizations affiliated with both the Republican and Democratic parties appeared under racist and pro-Nazi posts shared on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Advertisements for the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and the Heritage Foundation think tank were among those that appeared under such posts. The World Bank also ceased all paid advertising on X after a promoted advertisement showed up under a racist post from an account known for sharing pro-Nazi content.
Republican and Democratic-affiliated advertisements were found under posts shared by verified accounts that promoted pro-Nazi and racist content on X. The National Republican Senatorial Committee had advertisements appearing under such posts, directing users to donate through WinRed. Other promoted advertisements for GOP candidates and groups were also seen under similar content. Additionally, Democratic candidate Jerrad Christian’s campaign ad appeared under an anti-Semitic post, with a link directing users to ActBlue, a popular fundraising platform used by Democratic campaigns.
Since Musk’s takeover of X in October 2022, he has made significant changes to the platform’s policies, including dismantling safeguards and moderation measures. Musk implemented a system where X’s algorithms favor accounts that pay for the platform’s verification service, allowing subscribers to monetize their content through advertising revenue. Accounts that meet specific criteria can receive a share of advertising revenue for their content, even if they do not publicly disclose their identity.
Sander van der Linden, a professor of social psychology at the University of Cambridge, noted that X’s algorithms may be placing advertisements based on engagement with certain accounts, such as those sharing hateful content. He stated that since Musk’s takeover, there has been an increase in hate speech content on the platform due to the lack of moderation tools. While Musk has claimed that hate speech does not receive ad revenue, van der Linden believes that the proliferation of such content allows individuals to profit from it.
CBS News found that far fewer Democratic political ads compared to Republican ads appeared under racist and pro-Nazi content on X. Multiple political fundraising advertisements for GOP groups and candidates were seen under posts promoting hate speech. Additionally, advertisements for the Heritage Foundation think tank appeared under anti-Semitic posts from an account known for sharing pro-Nazi content. The placement of these advertisements on X raised questions about the platform’s capacity to control hate speech and inappropriate content.
Overall, the investigation revealed that paid advertisements from major organizations affiliated with both U.S. political parties appeared under racist and pro-Nazi posts on Elon Musk’s social media platform X. The World Bank, Conservative Political Action Conference, and Heritage Foundation were among the groups whose ads appeared in such problematic contexts. The changes made to X’s policies under Musk’s ownership have raised concerns about the platform’s ability to control hate speech and inappropriate content.
