GARM Disbands After Musk Lawsuit and Shapiro's Testimony Highlight Censorship Concerns

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has disbanded the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), an initiative aimed at ensuring companies only advertise with “responsible” media outlets. This decision comes in the wake of lawsuits filed by social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Rumble, as well as testimony from Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro.

WFA chief executive Stephan Loerke announced the termination of GARM in a letter to members, as reported by Business Insider. Loerke expressed confidence that GARM would prevail against the lawsuits, but the decision to disband the initiative indicates significant pressure from the legal challenges and public scrutiny.

The disbandment follows weeks after Ben Shapiro testified to Congress, presenting evidence that GARM targeted conservative news outlets. GARM, which included almost all major advertising companies as members, leveraged its influence to pressure tech platforms into censoring content labeled as “harmful” or “misinformation.”

• Membership Requirements: To be part of GARM, advertising firms were required to pledge not to place advertisements alongside content deemed “harmful” or “misinformation.” However, internal emails obtained by the House Judiciary Committee suggested that the term “misinformation” was used to justify withholding ad dollars from conservative outlets.

• Targeting Conservative Platforms: According to Musk’s lawsuit, GARM advised members not to advertise with X following Musk’s acquisition of the platform. Emails reveal GARM chief Rob Rakowitz celebrated when Twitter’s revenue was 80% below forecasts. Unilever, a prominent member of GARM’s “steer team,” criticized Musk’s stance on the Hunter Biden laptop story, describing him as “overly partisan.”

• Internal Communications: The emails unveiled by the lawsuit illustrate how GARM and its members coordinated to stifle conservative media. Rakowitz consulted with GroupM, a leading advertising firm, regarding The Daily Wire. A GroupM “brand safety” executive categorized The Daily Wire as a “Global High Risk exclusion,” citing “Conspiracy Theories.”

The lawsuits filed by X and Rumble accuse GARM of violating antitrust laws by facilitating collusion among companies that are typically competitors. Emails demonstrate that companies expressed concerns about withdrawing advertising from X, a major platform, unless they had guarantees that their competitors would follow suit.

In November 2022, Orsted, a GARM “steer team” member, sought guidance from GARM about a potential boycott of Twitter, ultimately removing all advertising from the platform due to “brand safety concerns.” At least 18 GARM members followed suit, and others significantly reduced their advertising presence, according to the lawsuit. By March 2023, Orsted inquired about whether other advertisers had resumed advertising on the platform, signaling the coordinated nature of the ad boycotts.

“In a competitive market, advertising agencies would compete with one another on their ability to place their customers’ ads according to their customers’ individual preferences and marketing plans,” Musk’s lawsuit stated. Instead, “GARM uses the market power of its members and their clients to force platforms to submit to GARM’s demands.”

The disbandment of GARM marks a significant moment in the battle over free speech and media bias, highlighting the power dynamics at play in the advertising industry. As these legal battles unfold, the implications for media freedom and corporate responsibility continue to reverberate across the industry.

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