26 groups call on Twitter’s top advertisers to demand non-negotiable requirements for their ad business in the midst of Elon Musk’s acquisition
- Wednesday, May 4th, 2022
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A diverse coalition of 26 organizations – spearheaded by Media Matters for America, Accountable Tech and UltraViolet – has called on Twitter’s top advertisers to demand that Elon Musk commit to upholding three non-negotiable standards of community trust and safety, and to pull their advertising spending from Twitter if he does not.
In an open letter to the advertisers, the coalition urges advertisers to demand that Twitter…
- Keep accounts; including those of public figures and politicians; that were removed for egregious violations of Twitter rules – such as harassment, violence and hateful conduct – off the platform and continue to enforce the civic integrity policyalong with the hateful conduct policy.
- Beyond algorithmic transparency, ensure algorithmic accountability, preserve people’s privacy, and commit to depolarizing the algorithm.
- Continue Twitter’s commitment to transparency and researcher access.
The letter says: “Your brand risks association with a platform amplifying hate, extremism, health misinformation and conspiracy theorists. Under Musk’s management, Twitter risks becoming a cesspool of misinformation, with your brand attached, polluting our information ecosystem in a time when trust in institutions and news media is already at an all-time low. Your ad dollars can either fund Musk’s vanity project or hold him to account.” 
Signers of the open letter include: Access Now; Accountable Tech; Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation; Center for Countering Digital Hate; Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC); Face the Music Collective; Fair Vote UK; Free Press; Friends of the Earth; Gender Equity Policy Institute; GLAAD; Global Project Against Hate and Extremism; Indivisible Northern Nevada; Kairos; Media Matters for America; MediaJustice; NARAL Pro-Choice America; National Hispanic Media Coalition; Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; Reproaction; Stop Online Violence Against Women Inc; The Sparrow Project; UltraViolet; Union of Concerned Scientists; Womens March; and V-Day/One Billion Rising.
You can read the full letter here.
