Ads for major organisations run under X accounts sharing hate speech

Many companies’ ad posts on X are running under accounts which have spread hate or targeted marginalised groups.

As the Indian festival season draws near, more companies and organisations are advertising their products or services on X (formerly Twitter), but many of these ad posts were running under accounts which have spread hate or targeted marginalised groups.

For example, a UNICEF India ad on X last week that educated viewers about the Mother and Child Protection Card (MCP), to help mothers and children in Rajasthan access resources, was placed under the account of social media influencer Andrew Tate, known for promoting his misogynistic views.

Arrested in Romania in late 2022, Tate was charged with rape and human trafficking, though he denied all accusations. In 2017, he had posted that women should take some responsibility for being targeted by sexual harassers. Tate was banned from Twitter, but his account was later reinstated. He has 8 million followers on X.

The Hindu reached out to UNICEF India to learn if it was aware of the ad placement and whether it plans to address this, but did not receive a response.

(For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today’s Cache)

In another instance, an advertisement for the U.S. Consulate General Chennai was placed under the X account of Chaya Raichik, an influencer who has shared homophobic and transphobic content. The U.S. Consulate General Chennai’s ad was placed right under a statement by Raichik, where she took pride in posts shaming a U.S. government employee’s physical appearance.

One more ad by the U.S. Consulate General Chennai was placed under the X account of ‘War Monitor,’ which is covering the ongoing Israel-Hamas war but was previously criticised for making antisemitic statements.