Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has sued a global advertising group and several major companies, including Mars and CVS Health. The lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court, accuses the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Unilever, Orsted, Mars, and CVS Health of unlawfully conspiring to boycott X, leading to substantial revenue losses.

<h2 bis_size="{&quot;x&quot;:8,&quot;y&quot;:103,&quot;w&quot;:723,&quot;h&quot;:26,&quot;abs_x&quot;:41,&quot;abs_y&quot;:1789}">A conspiracy?</h2>

X claims that these advertisers, through the WFA's Global Alliance for Responsible Media initiative, collectively withheld "billions of dollars in ad revenue" from the social media giant.&nbsp;

The lawsuit argues this action was a conspiracy that violated US antitrust law, and claims that the companies acted against their economic interests to harm X.

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Linda Yaccarino, X's chief executive, stated that "people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is constricted. No small group of people should monopolize what gets monetised".

<h2 bis_size="{&quot;x&quot;:8,&quot;y&quot;:300,&quot;w&quot;:723,&quot;h&quot;:26,&quot;abs_x&quot;:41,&quot;abs_y&quot;:1986}">Why is X suing advertisers now?</h2>

After Musk took over Twitter, now X, in 2022, the company saw a significant decline in its ad revenue.&nbsp;

It has been widely reported that advertisers were wary of their brands appearing next to harmful content that might not have been removed under Musk's leadership.

According to Christine Bartholomew, an antitrust expert and professor at the University at Buffalo's law school, proving unlawful boycotts can be challenging.&nbsp;

In a conversation with Reuters, Bartholomew said that X must show there was an explicit agreement to boycott the platform.

Also read |&nbsp;<a bis_size="{&quot;x&quot;:8,&quot;y&quot;:613,&quot;w&quot;:682,&quot;h&quot;:51,&quot;abs_x&quot;:41,&quot;abs_y&quot;:2299}" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-riots-elon-musk-calls-uk-pm-two-tier-keir-compares-britain-to-soviet-union-747832">UK riots: Elon Musk calls PM 'two-tier Keir', compares Britain to Soviet Union</a>

"Proving this requirement is no small hurdle" if the agreement was implicit, she notes. Even if X does succeed&nbsp;in this near impossible task, it cannot force companies to spend ad revenue on the platform," she added.

Filed in the Northern District of Texas and assigned to US District Judge Reed O'Connor, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order to prevent further efforts to withhold ad dollars from X.

The company argues that it has applied brand-safety standards that "meet or exceed" its competitors and meet the Global Alliance for Responsible Media's specifications. It further argues that the alleged boycott made X a "less effective competitor" in the sale of digital advertising.

(With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has sued a global advertising group and several major companies, including Mars and CVS Health. The lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court, accuses the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Unilever, Orsted, Mars, and CVS Health of unlawfully conspiring to boycott X, leading to substantial revenue losses.

Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has sued a global advertising group and several major companies, including Mars and CVS Health. The lawsuit, filed in a Texas federal court, accuses the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Unilever, Orsted, Mars, and CVS Health of unlawfully conspiring to boycott X, leading to substantial revenue losses. A conspiracy? X claims that these advertisers, through the WFA's Global Alliance for Responsible Media initiative, collectively withheld "billions of dollars in ad revenue" from the social media giant. The lawsuit argues this action was a conspiracy that violated US antitrust law, and claims that the companies acted against their economic interests to harm X. Also read | Trump's son Eric labels Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘spoiled apples’, hints at their deportation Linda Yaccarino, X's chief executive, stated that "people are hurt when the marketplace of ideas is constricted. No small group of people should monopolize what gets monetised". Why is X suing advertisers now? After Musk took over Twitter, now X, in 2022, the company saw a significant decline in its ad revenue. It has been widely reported that advertisers were wary of their brands appearing next to harmful content that might not have been removed under Musk's leadership. According to Christine Bartholomew, an antitrust expert and professor at the University at Buffalo's law school, proving unlawful boycotts can be challenging. In a conversation with Reuters, Bartholomew said that X must show there was an explicit agreement to boycott the platform. Also read | UK riots: Elon Musk calls PM 'two-tier Keir', compares Britain to Soviet Union "Proving this requirement is no small hurdle" if the agreement was implicit, she notes. Even if X does succeed in this near impossible task, it cannot force companies to spend ad revenue on the platform," she added. Filed in the Northern District of Texas and assigned to US District Judge Reed O'Connor, the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order to prevent further efforts to withhold ad dollars from X. The company argues that it has applied brand-safety standards that "meet or exceed" its competitors and meet the Global Alliance for Responsible Media's specifications. It further argues that the alleged boycott made X a "less effective competitor" in the sale of digital advertising. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's X sues Mars, Unilever and other major advertisers, alleges unlawful boycott

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is in the headlines again this time for uttering some pretty Choice words on a live television broadcast in America. He was in fact speaking at the 2023 deal book Summit hosted by the New York Times the owner of the micro blogging platform X. He was asked about advertisers dumping his social media platform after he amplified what were dubbed as anti-semitic posts.

Elon Musk hits back at advertisers who left X

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Musk backing an antisemitic post on the platform last week has led several companies including Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery to pause their advertisements on the site formerly called Twitter.

X has struck back and sued media watchdog group Media Matters, alleging the organization defamed the platform with a report that said ads for major brands including Apple and Oracle had appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

Internal documents viewed by The New York Times this week list more than 200 ad units of companies from the likes of Airbnb, Amazon, Coca-Cola and Microsoft, many of which have halted or are considering pausing their ads on the social network, the report said.

X said on Friday that $11 million in revenue was at risk and the exact figure fluctuated as some advertisers returned to the platform and others increased spending, according to the report.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Advertisers have fled X since Musk bought it in October 2022 and reduced content moderation, resulting in a sharp rise in hate speech on the site, according to civil rights groups.

The platform's U.S. ad revenue has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk's takeover, Reuters previously reported.

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Elon Musk-owned social media company X could lose as much as $75 million in advertising revenue by the end of the year as dozens of major brands pause their marketing campaigns, the New York Times reported on Friday. Musk backing an antisemitic post on the platform last week has led several companies including Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery to pause their advertisements on the site formerly called Twitter. X has struck back and sued media watchdog group Media Matters, alleging the organization defamed the platform with a report that said ads for major brands including Apple and Oracle had appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. Internal documents viewed by The New York Times this week list more than 200 ad units of companies from the likes of Airbnb, Amazon, Coca-Cola and Microsoft, many of which have halted or are considering pausing their ads on the social network, the report said. X said on Friday that $11 million in revenue was at risk and the exact figure fluctuated as some advertisers returned to the platform and others increased spending, according to the report. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Advertisers have fled X since Musk bought it in October 2022 and reduced content moderation, resulting in a sharp rise in hate speech on the site, according to civil rights groups. The platform's U.S. ad revenue has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk's takeover, Reuters previously reported.

Elon Musk's X may lose up to $75 million by year-end on advertiser exodus

A report from an advertisement research firm has claimed that dozens of advertisers using TrueView, Google advertisement product, may not be getting what they paid for and that Google may have misled them about the viewership, reported The Guardian.

TrueView is Google's proprietary ad product that displays advertisements on YouTube and other apps on the internet.

The user can skip the ad after five seconds. The advertisers get charged if the user watches the ad for 30 seconds or throughout if the length of the ad&nbsp;is less than 30 seconds. Whether audio is playing or not is also important.

Guardian cited a report by Adalytics, an advertisement research firm, which said that advertisers may not be getting what they paid for.

Watch | Millions of Android users at risk as dangerous spyware found in over 100 apps on Google Play

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The firm reportedly reviewed ad campaigns of more than 1000 brands across the internet. It found that TrueView ads did not meet Google's own guidelines. The firm reportedly found that some ads were run in small video players in the corner or at the side of the screen. They were fully muted and had no video content.

The websites running muted ads, included 'NYTimes, Reuters, Wired, Mashable and Gizmodo' as reported by The Guardian.

Adalytics has said that mis-identified adverstising has been running since 2020.

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Google has rejected findings of the report. In a blog post, Google's director of global video solutions, Marvin Renaud has denied that Adalytics' findings were accurate. He said that the report contained “extremely inaccurate claims”. He further said that advertisers pay for ads only when they were being viewed.

“We use real-time ad quality signals to determine if people are present and paying attention that help us decide whether to serve a video ad in a Google Video Partner site or app,” he said.

Renaud stressed that Google monitors adherence to its policies and stops serving ads on over 143,000 websites after it found they were in violation.

He also added that report incorrectly claimed that most of ad campaigns are run on third-party sites rather than YouTube and said the opposite is true. 
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A report from an advertisement research firm has claimed that dozens of advertisers using TrueView, Google advertisement product, may not be getting what they paid for and that Google may have misled them about the viewership, reported The Guardian.

A report from an advertisement research firm has claimed that dozens of advertisers using TrueView, Google advertisement product, may not be getting what they paid for and that Google may have misled them about the viewership, reported The Guardian. TrueView is Google's proprietary ad product that displays advertisements on YouTube and other apps on the internet. The user can skip the ad after five seconds. The advertisers get charged if the user watches the ad for 30 seconds or throughout if the length of the ad is less than 30 seconds. Whether audio is playing or not is also important. Guardian cited a report by Adalytics, an advertisement research firm, which said that advertisers may not be getting what they paid for. Watch | Millions of Android users at risk as dangerous spyware found in over 100 apps on Google Play × The firm reportedly reviewed ad campaigns of more than 1000 brands across the internet. It found that TrueView ads did not meet Google's own guidelines. The firm reportedly found that some ads were run in small video players in the corner or at the side of the screen. They were fully muted and had no video content. The websites running muted ads, included 'NYTimes, Reuters, Wired, Mashable and Gizmodo' as reported by The Guardian. Adalytics has said that mis-identified adverstising has been running since 2020. Also Read | Firing season continues: Google lays off employees at its mapping app Waze Google has rejected findings of the report. In a blog post, Google's director of global video solutions, Marvin Renaud has denied that Adalytics' findings were accurate. He said that the report contained “extremely inaccurate claims”. He further said that advertisers pay for ads only when they were being viewed. “We use real-time ad quality signals to determine if people are present and paying attention that help us decide whether to serve a video ad in a Google Video Partner site or app,” he said. Renaud stressed that Google monitors adherence to its policies and stops serving ads on over 143,000 websites after it found they were in violation. He also added that report incorrectly claimed that most of ad campaigns are run on third-party sites rather than YouTube and said the opposite is true. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Google possibly misled dozens of advertisers about viewership, says report

Elon Musk's team is hunting for new investors for Twitter, reported news platform Semafor on Friday (December 16). According to the report, Jared Birchall, Musk's money manager reached out to potential investors. They have been offered shares of Twitter at the same price Musk paid while acquiring the company (USD 54.20).

There was no immediate comment from Twitter or Musk.

The social media platform has seen advertisers flee as worries mount about Musk's approach to policing tweets. This has hit Twitter's revenues and its ability to pay interest on the $13 billion debt that Musk took on to buy the company.

Ross Gerber, a Tesla investor who said he put less than $1 million in Musk's original takeover of Twitter, confirmed that he was contacted Thursday evening about another funding round, Semafor reported.

Twitter is grabbing headlines almost every day. Musk has attracted global criticism over the manner in which the 'doxxing' of his jet was handled. Twitter suspended accounts of several journalists who wrote about the issue. This hasn't gone down well with many countries.

Officials from France, Germany, Britain and the European Union condemned the suspensions, with some saying the platform was jeopardizing press freedom.

The episode, which one well-known security researcher labeled the "Thursday Night Massacre", is being regarded by critics as fresh evidence of the billionaire, who considers himself a "free speech absolutist," eliminating speech and users he personally dislikes.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Elon Musk's team is hunting for new investors for Twitter, reported news platform Semafor on Friday (December 16). According to the report, Jared Birchall, Musk's money manager reached out to potential investors.

Elon Musk's team is hunting for new investors for Twitter, reported news platform Semafor on Friday (December 16). According to the report, Jared Birchall, Musk's money manager reached out to potential investors. They have been offered shares of Twitter at the same price Musk paid while acquiring the company (USD 54.20). There was no immediate comment from Twitter or Musk. The social media platform has seen advertisers flee as worries mount about Musk's approach to policing tweets. This has hit Twitter's revenues and its ability to pay interest on the $13 billion debt that Musk took on to buy the company. Ross Gerber, a Tesla investor who said he put less than $1 million in Musk's original takeover of Twitter, confirmed that he was contacted Thursday evening about another funding round, Semafor reported. Twitter is grabbing headlines almost every day. Musk has attracted global criticism over the manner in which the 'doxxing' of his jet was handled. Twitter suspended accounts of several journalists who wrote about the issue. This hasn't gone down well with many countries. Officials from France, Germany, Britain and the European Union condemned the suspensions, with some saying the platform was jeopardizing press freedom. The episode, which one well-known security researcher labeled the "Thursday Night Massacre", is being regarded by critics as fresh evidence of the billionaire, who considers himself a "free speech absolutist," eliminating speech and users he personally dislikes. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Elon Musk's team fishes for new investors into Twitter as advertisers flee: Report

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it would allow users to review businesses that advertise on the social network and possibly ban those that receive the most negative feedback.

The move is aimed at cracking down on businesses whose ads mislead users into buying low-quality goods or services or firms that fail to deliver products in their stated shipping time.

Facebook users can leave feedback for their viewed ads under the "Ads Activity" tab, the company said in a blog post.

Advertisers will be given a chance to improve before further action is taken, which might include a reduction in the amount of ads that particular business can run.

"We believe this tool will give people more confidence in the businesses they interact with and help hold businesses more accountable for customer experiences they provide," Facebook said.

This is one of the many changes by the world's largest social media network to enhance user experience and engagement after it was embroiled in a huge scandal where millions of users' data was improperly accessed by a political consultancy.

Facebook calls itself "an advertising-supported service" and requires people to accept targeted ads as a condition of using its platform.

The move is aimed at cracking down on businesses whose ads mislead users into buying low-quality goods or services or firms that fail to deliver products in their stated shipping time

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it would allow users to review businesses that advertise on the social network and possibly ban those that receive the most negative feedback. The move is aimed at cracking down on businesses whose ads mislead users into buying low-quality goods or services or firms that fail to deliver products in their stated shipping time. Facebook users can leave feedback for their viewed ads under the "Ads Activity" tab, the company said in a blog post. Advertisers will be given a chance to improve before further action is taken, which might include a reduction in the amount of ads that particular business can run. "We believe this tool will give people more confidence in the businesses they interact with and help hold businesses more accountable for customer experiences they provide," Facebook said. This is one of the many changes by the world's largest social media network to enhance user experience and engagement after it was embroiled in a huge scandal where millions of users' data was improperly accessed by a political consultancy. Facebook calls itself "an advertising-supported service" and requires people to accept targeted ads as a condition of using its platform.

Facebook launches user review, potential bans for advertisers

Facebook&nbsp;said it would refund some advertisers after finding a bug that wrongly attributed video carousel ad clicks as clicks to the advertisers&#39; websites.

When users tried to expand and watch the video carousel on the mobile web browser, the bug inadvertently directed the click to the advertiser&#39;s website, leading to incorrect billing, the company said in a <a href="https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2017/05/video-carousel-ads-on-mobile-web/">blogpost</a> on Tuesday.

A video carousel ad format shows images and links within a single ad unit and also has a button that directs users to websites.

The company said it had fixed the bug, which was not found on the desktop version or the mobile app.

The impact from a billing perspective was 0.04 per cent of ad impressions, Facebook said.

Facebook in September apologised for an error in the way it measured a key metric of video viewership that significantly amplified users&#39; viewing times on its platform.

(Reuters)

The bug inadvertently directed the click to the advertiser's website, leading to incorrect billing

Facebook said it would refund some advertisers after finding a bug that wrongly attributed video carousel ad clicks as clicks to the advertisers' websites. When users tried to expand and watch the video carousel on the mobile web browser, the bug inadvertently directed the click to the advertiser's website, leading to incorrect billing, the company said in a blogpost on Tuesday. A video carousel ad format shows images and links within a single ad unit and also has a button that directs users to websites. The company said it had fixed the bug, which was not found on the desktop version or the mobile app. The impact from a billing perspective was 0.04 per cent of ad impressions, Facebook said. Facebook in September apologised for an error in the way it measured a key metric of video viewership that significantly amplified users' viewing times on its platform. (Reuters)

Facebook?to reimburse some advertisers after discovering bug

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