A new report, it was discovered that X continues displaying ads next to harmful and/or offensive content this time over the controversial commentary regarding the recent race riots which happened in the U.K.

New Report From The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) Reveals That X Recently Displayed Ads by Major Brands Next to Misinformation Relating to the Unrest

The CCDH writes:

"Elon Musk's social media platform X was running ads near posts from five key U.K. accounts pushing lies and hate in the wake of the Southport attack. The CCDH found that these accounts amassed 260 million views in the week following the Southport attack on 29 July, and that X is presenting ads for well-known brands including GlaxoSmithKline, the British Medical Association, Betfred and the International Olympics Committee near their content."
according to the CCDH report, X is displaying ads in-feed next to potentially harmful and incendiary content related to the riots.

The CCDH also notes that many of the most inflammatory accounts sharing information about the riots are also participating in X's Creator Ad Revenue Share Program-meaning that X is essentially paying these users to share inflammatory and polarizing comments.

X tried to dismiss similar CCDH claims in the past also by suggesting that its reports manipulate the X ad serving system and, as such, are not indicative of real user experiences. But even if that were the case, it still does appear that reports of CCDH suggest X can run ads and promotions along with this kind of content, which has been another reason why many advertisers are now cut back or halt their X spend.

This new report isn't going to do much to lift the game of X in this regard, however, neither will the fact that it's Elon Musk himself who is publicizing comments from spokescritters like Tommy Robinson, whose anti-Islamic stances are suspected to have incited the riots.

This is the point of the whole thing. Here, of course, Elon Musk, determined to amplify and share whatever he feels like in the app, wants to argue that he is being forced to censor content, by governments and/or by big corporations, under threat of bans and restrictions on his business. But truth is that Musk is free to say whatever he wants, just can't do it without accountability, and accountability for promoting hate may indeed touch his business.

Then appears to be the sticking point. The argument that Elon makes here is a larger incentive to limit free speech, which is controlled by these shadow figures in the government, but most of the cases that Musk has presented on occasion are a public good, as determined by the relevant regional government.
Does that amount to overreach? Perhaps, because autocratic regimes seek to shape what is in people's minds. In other situations, however, elected officials might be seeking to quell unrest or other effects, and that could be linked to the fact that that content is being amplified on X.

Such balance is instead more so regarding the implications of letting that happen on your site, or on promoting it, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all "free speech" argument. In this regard, Elon can allow users to post whatever they want, but advertisers in turn can choose to withdraw their advertising in response.

That is, I suspect, where most of Musk's legal battles will end. Musk has already lost one case to the CCDH; besides that, he also brings legal action against various groups that found X unsafe for paid promotion.

This latest CCDH report may prompt another legal response from X, but the evidence does suggest that X is amplifying hateful content, and that inevitably will also see ads displayed nearby, in some form.