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The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a nonprofit initiative established by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), has closed. The decision to shut down came after an antitrust lawsuit was filed by Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter). 

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GARM 

GARM’s stated purpose is to protect advertisers from associating their brands with harmful online content, such as hate speech, misinformation, and violence.

The organization’s members included some of the world’s biggest advertisers, like Unilever, Mars, Orsted, and CVS Health, all of whom were named in X’s lawsuit along with GARM and the WFA.

Founded in 2019 by the WFA, with the idea of providing social media oversight. The Christchurch Mosque shootings in New Zealand, were live-streamed on Facebook.  This event exposed the failure of social media platforms to protect users from harmful material. 

GARM’s mission centered on content moderation policies and assuring its member advertisers were steered away from platforms that failed to uphold ethical standards.

Elon Musk and a host of others claim that GARM is a political attack machine for the Left.

Lawsuit and Financial Strain

The closure of GARM follows an antitrust lawsuit filed by X earlier this week. The lawsuit accuses GARM of using its market influence to orchestrate a massive advertiser boycott against X, leading to significant financial losses for the platform.

 According to the lawsuit, X’s ad revenue plummeted as 18 GARM members stopped advertising on the platform, while dozens of others significantly reduced their spending. This boycott, X alleges, has caused the platform billions of dollars in lost revenue.

In a statement, GARM acknowledged that the lawsuit had become a significant distraction and had “significantly drained its resources and finances.”

The organization’s decision to close, while a victory for Musk and X, is seen as a potential setback for brand safety advocates who relied on GARM’s leadership in promoting ethical advertising practices.

Stephan Loerke, CEO of the WFA, communicated with members via email, expressing the difficult decision to shut down GARM.

Loerke stated that the WFA itself would remain fully operational and had intended to fight X’s lawsuit in court. However, he noted, “This decision was not made lightly, but GARM is a not-for-profit organization, and its resources are limited.”