Elon Musk's X just sued a nonprofit advertising group out of existence
CNN - A major ad industry group is shutting down, days after Elon Musk-owned X filed a lawsuit that claimed the group illegally conspired to boycott advertising on his platform.
“GARM is a small, not-for-profit initiative, and recent allegations that unfortunately misconstrue its purpose and activities have caused a distraction and significantly drained its resources and finances,” the group said in a statement Friday. “GARM therefore is making the difficult decision to discontinue its activities.”
The group, Global Alliance for Responsible Media, also known as GARM, is a voluntary ad-industry initiative run by the World Federation of Advertisers that aims to help brands avoid having their advertisements appear alongside illegal or harmful content. GARM confirmed it is still planning to defend itself in court.
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The end of GARM could raise concerns for other media watchdogs, though a judge has sided with a nonprofit in a similar suit. X also sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate, alleging the nonprofit group violated its terms of service when it studied, and then wrote about, hate speech on the platform and blamed it for driving away advertisers. (A federal judge tossed the suit in March, blasting it as an attempt to punish CCDH for protected speech.) X also sued the progressive watchdog group Media Matters over its analysis highlighting antisemitic and pro-Nazi content on X — a report that appeared to play a significant role in a massive and damaging brand revolt late last year. The case is set to go to trial next year.
Read More: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/09/tech/elon-musk-garm-advertisers-lawsuit/index.html