World Bank Halts Ads on X After They Appear Under Racist Content

The World Bank has suspended all paid advertising on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, following a CBS News investigation that revealed its ads appearing alongside racist content. The investigation identified a verified account with over 115,000 followers that frequently shared pro-Nazi and white nationalist posts, including a racist image praising European colonization of Africa. The World Bank's spokesperson stated that the incident was "entirely unacceptable" and confirmed the immediate cessation of all paid marketing on X. CBS News also found that other brands, including Saudia Airlines and Nordace, had their advertisements displayed under similar hateful posts. Nordace has since paused its advertising on X until it can ensure such occurrences do not happen again. The report highlights broader concerns about X's content moderation policies, particularly under Elon Musk's leadership, which have been criticized for allowing hate speech and extremist content to proliferate. Musk's changes to the platform's verification and advertising systems have raised questions about the effectiveness of its safeguards against hate speech. CBS News has reached out to X for comments regarding the situation but has not received a response.

- The World Bank has halted all paid advertising on X due to ads appearing under racist content.

- CBS News found multiple brands' ads alongside pro-Nazi and white nationalist posts on the platform.

- Nordace has paused its advertising on X until it can ensure compliance with its values.

- Elon Musk's leadership has led to concerns about content moderation and the spread of hate speech on X.

- The investigation highlights the challenges advertisers face in ensuring their content does not appear alongside extremist material.