Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, threatened to suspend users who use the words "decolonization" and the phrase "from the river to the sea," reportedly targeting pro-Palestine posts in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza, drew criticism from Human rights activists.
Human Rights Watch's Israel and Palestine director, Omar Shakir, took to social media to express his concern, stating that "threatening to silence users for peaceful, legitimate speech is a new low – even for Elon Musk."
The controversy began when Musk posted a warning on his platform, declaring that terms like "decolonization" and "from the river to the sea" imply genocide and will result in suspension.
Defenders argue that the phrase "from the river to the sea" is a call for the freedom of Palestinians across the region, from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. They claim that attempts to criminalize the use of such expressions are aimed at silencing Palestinian voices and their supporters, particularly amid ongoing tensions and conflicts in the region, such as Israel's war on Gaza.
The controversy took a dramatic turn when Apple announced a complete pause on all advertising on Musk's platform, just two days after Musk endorsed an anti-Semitic post. This decision triggered a cascade effect, with major technology and media giants, including IBM, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Comcast/NBCUniversal, following suit and halting their advertising on Musk's social media platform.
The decision to pull advertising comes after a report revealed that Apple's ads had been running alongside tweets praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Film studios such as Lionsgate, Warner Bros, Paramount, and Sony Pictures, as well as media companies like Comcast/NBCUniversal, all joined the boycott. IBM also joined the movement the night before. The New York Times reported that Disney would be pausing spending on Musk's platform as well.
Musk's troubles escalated further when he tweeted his enthusiastic agreement with an anti-Semitic post, accusing Jews of hating white people. The White House condemned Musk's statements as "abhorrent," and a coalition of over 150 rabbis called for a boycott of Musk's platform by major advertisers, including Apple, Disney, Amazon, and Oracle.
Apple, once one of the social network's biggest advertisers, spending as much as $100 million a year as of November 2022 when Musk purchased it, claimed to have "mostly stopped" advertising on the platform in December 2022. However, ad analytics data contradicts this assertion, revealing a different financial story. Since Musk's acquisition, Twitter's business has been in free fall, with advertisers fleeing, regulators investigating, user numbers plummeting, and staff levels at less than 50% of pre-Musk levels.
Researchers have also documented a disturbing rise in anti-Semitic and racist posts on the platform following Musk's disastrous acquisition. The backlash against Musk's social media policies and controversial statements prompted a significant decline in advertiser confidence and user engagement.
This is not the first time Musk has clashed with major corporations over advertising decisions. In December 2022, Musk engaged in a public feud with Apple, accusing CEO Tim Cook and employees of possibly "hating free speech in America." Musk tweeted a meme about "going to war" with Apple but later deleted it. Despite the online spat, Cook invited Musk to Apple's corporate headquarters, and the two seemed to reach a détente.
In response to the growing boycott, IBM, another major advertiser on Musk's platform, announced its decision to stop advertising on Twitter. The move came after a report by liberal watchdog Media Matters found both IBM and Apple's ads running alongside hate speech. In response, Musk dismissed Media Matters as an "evil organization."