Embattled X boss Elon Musk announced that his social media company will donate advertising and subscription revenue to Israeli hospitals as well as to Red Cross and Red Crescent medical crews in the Gaza Strip amid backlash over his alleged antisemitic posts.
Musk — who has seen blue-chip firms ditch X in the past week following a report from a liberal watchdog group that accused the site of promoting antisemitic content next to companies’ advertisements — said the donations would come from accounts associated with the Israel-Hamas war.
Several posters responded to Musk by expressing concern that the funds would end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists, who have been accused of using Red Crescent ambulances as well as hospitals in Gaza to shield their militant activities against Israel.
“We will track how funds are spent and go through Red Cross/Crescent,” Musk wrote Tuesday, seeking to allay concerns.
“Better ideas are welcome.”
Musk added that people “should care about the innocent regardless of race, creed, religion or anything else.”
In a subsequent post, Musk appeared to reconsider his decision to donate to the Red Crescent and Red Cross.
“Ok, what is a better way to help kids in Gaza?” Musk asked. “Maybe just direct purchase of pediatric medical supplies.”
The Post has sought comment from X Corp, the Red Cross, and the Red Crescent.
Musk and his social media company have been scrutinized since the Oct. 7 cross-border assault by Hamas terrorists who killed some 1,200 Israeli soldiers and civilians.
More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter to Musk on Tuesday to express concern the platform seemed to be profiting from premium accounts that glorified violence against Israelis.
In the letter to Musk and X chief executive Linda Yaccarino, the lawmakers noted reports from nonprofit organizations that showed people with X Premium accounts “glorifying barbaric acts of violence against Israelis.”
The letter is the latest fight between Musk, who bought Twitter and renamed it X, and those who have advocated for better content moderation.
The billionaire filed his “thermonuclear lawsuit” on Monday against Media Matters, alleging the watchdog group defamed the platform after it published a report that said ads for major brands had appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.
Musk himself landed in hot water after he reacted with approval to an antisemitic post alleging that Jews were responsible for the mass migration of minorities to the West.
The Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish organizations condemned Musk, who denied that he was antisemitic.
The ADL drew criticism after turning around and praising Musk for pledging to crack down on X users who posted “genocidal” language relating to Israel and Palestine.
In their letter, Democratic lawmakers cited data that showed that the company was generating revenue from accounts posting controversial content.
“These reports demonstrated that X is profiting from the spread of this gruesome and harmful propaganda through account subscription fees and ad revenue,” the lawmakers wrote, adding that much of the offensive content remained live despite being flagged by researchers.
The lawmakers said X profited from the posts both from subscription fees as well as ads displayed in replies to both Premium and regular posts.
“X has financially benefited from the spread of demonstrably false and misleading content as well,” the lawmakers wrote.
X’s US ad revenue has declined at least 55% year-over-year each month since Musk’s takeover.
Advertisers have left the platform since Musk bought it for $44 billion in October 2022 because of some of Musk’s controversial posts and layoffs of employees who worked to moderate content.
Credit: Source link
