Elon Musk has just scored a major victory on behalf of online free speech advocates everywhere by shutting down the global pro-censorship “advertising cartel” with a massive lawsuit.
48 hours after Musk’s X filed a lawsuit against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) “advertising cartel” and several of its members, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) announced it is shutting the organization down.
The X lawsuit was also joined by the pro-free speech video streaming platform Rumble.
In a statement reported by Business Insider, GARM complained that it is “a not-for-profit organization with limited resources.”
The claim lacks credibility, however, considering GARM does the bidding of companies representing hundreds of billions in market cap, including CVS Health, Mars, Orsted, and Unilever.
In an email to members, WFA CEO Stephan Loerke said that the decision was “not made lightly.”
Loerke also said that they intend to contest the allegations in X’s lawsuit.
He also claims that the WFA is confident that the outcome would “demonstrate our full adherence to competition rules in all our activities.”
The lawsuit alleges that GARM’s members illegally conspired to “collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising revenue” from Twitter, now known as X.
The lawsuit also names Unilever, Mars, CVS, and Ørsted.
As Slay News reported, Musk’s X has filed a bombshell antitrust lawsuit against a shadowy left-wing anti-free speech “ad cartel” for targetting the social media platform with an “illegal” advertising boycott.
In an open letter addressed to advertisers on X, CEO Linda Yaccarino said the lawsuit takes aim at the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM).
GARM is a shadowy group that has come under heavy scrutiny following a damning report by the House Judiciary Committee.
The committee accused GARM and its members of coordinating an effort to suppress online free speech and restrict ads to a slew of news outlets, including Slay News.
The efforts by GARM cause ad revenue to Slay News and other conservative outlets to be massively reduced, making it almost impossible to operate.
Thankfully, Slay News has a loyal reader base that helps to keep the site online by making donations.
GARM’s intention appears to be to force conservative news sites to shut down.
The organization started targeting Twitter, now known as X, after it was bought by Musk who vowed to end the censorship agenda.
In response to the announcement that GARM is shuttering, X’s Yaccarino said:
“No small group should be able to monopolize what gets monetized.
“This is an important acknowledgment and a necessary step in the right direction.
“I am hopeful that it means ecosystem-wide reform is coming.”
GARM was founded in 2019 by WFA, a global association representing over 150 of the world’s biggest brands and over 60 national advertiser associations that created GARM in 2019.
Its members include heavyweights such as Unilever, Mars, Diageo, Procter & Gamble (P&G), GroupM, AB InBev, L’Oréal, Nestlé, IBM, Mastercard, and PepsiCo.
These corporations not only wield immense economic influence but are accused of leveraging this power to control online discourse under the guise of “brand safety.”
This alliance quickly amassed significant market power, representing roughly 90% of global advertising spend, which amounts to nearly one trillion dollars annually.
The House Oversight Committee celebrated the news in a statement.
“This is a big win for the First Amendment and a big win for Chairman Jordan’s oversight work,” said Russell Dye, a Committee spokesperson.
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