Insights

The World Bank has suspended all paid advertising on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, following a CBS News investigation that uncovered the organization's ads appearing alongside a racist post from a verified account known for promoting pro-Nazi and white nationalist content. The investigation revealed that this account, boasting over 115,000 followers, had shared a racist image and praised European colonization of Africa, raising significant concerns about the platform's content moderation practices. CBS News identified multiple verified accounts on X that regularly disseminate antisemitic and racist posts, with some garnering millions of views. Notably, one post featuring archival footage of Adolf Hitler received over two million views, while advertisements from various businesses, including the World Bank and Saudia Airlines, appeared beneath these controversial posts. The investigation highlighted that brands like Nordace also had their ads displayed under white nationalist content, prompting CBS News to seek clarification from these companies regarding their advertising strategies on the platform. Since Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, significant changes to X's verification system and content moderation policies have been implemented, leading to a rise in hate speech and extremist content. The platform's guidelines allow verified accounts to profit from ad revenues, even if they share harmful content, raising questions about the effectiveness of its moderation efforts. CBS News has reached out to X for comments on the monetization of these accounts and the criteria for ad placements.