GARM was an initiative formed in 2019 by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA); the idea was to stop advertising on social media platforms that don’t meet certain safety standards. In its lawsuit, X said that GARM “organized an advertiser boycott of Twitter.”
The lawsuit from the platform formerly known as Twitter was one of several odd legal actions coming from Elon Musk — ones that seem more focused on punishing anyone who doesn’t agree with him than based on any coherent legal theory. Musk has also sued OpenAI, a competitor to his X.AI, and Media Matters, to try to silence the non-profit.
He added, “If somebody is going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself. Is that clear? I hope it is.”
When Musk bought Twitter, most of its revenue came from advertising — and that money dried up with his takeover. Perhaps the advertisers felt skittish about Musk’s “anything goes” approach to moderation — or perhaps it was Musk’s own posts, including one about “white pride.”
Though X’s case is hilariously thin, it’s accomplished its goal: defanging GARM. Taken together with some of Musk’s other suits, there’s a clear theme. if you oppose Musk, be ready to pay for expensive litigation.
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