Elon Musk's X faces advertiser backlash after placing marketing for major brands on notorious white supremacist account

The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, claims to prioritize brand safety but recent findings suggest otherwise. Advertisements for major companies and organizations have been found on the verified profile account of VDARE, an openly racist and white supremacist outlet. Companies such as Amazon, Samsung, the Denver Broncos, Cox Communications, STARZ, The Wall Street Journal, and others have had their ads displayed alongside hateful content. This raises concerns about X's ethics and commitment to brand safety, especially since Facebook and YouTube have banned VDARE from their platforms. Despite the NFL expressing concerns about their ads appearing on racist accounts, X has taken little action to address the issue. Linda Yaccarino, an X executive, has claimed that the platform takes measures to prevent ads from being placed next to hate speech, but the reality suggests otherwise. X has acknowledged that more work needs to be done to make the platform safe for brands. Some brands, such as STARZ, have suspended advertising on X due to this issue. Other companies, like New York Waterway, the University of Missouri, and Cox Communications, have expressed their disapproval and are investigating the matter. It is surprising that big companies continue to advertise on X despite its content moderation problems and the risk of their ads appearing next to unsavory content.