Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has prompted the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) to suspend its activities after filing an antitrust lawsuit earlier this week. The lawsuit, which was filed in Texas federal court, accuses GARM, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), and several of its key members of engaging in an illegal ad boycott designed to target and financially harm X by suppressing conservative viewpoints.
The lawsuit implicates several major corporations, including CVS Health, Mars, Orsted, and Unilever, which are accused of using their considerable market power—controlling roughly 90% of global advertising—to influence ad placements and censor content that doesn’t align with their agendas. According to the lawsuit, this coordinated effort has severely impacted X’s revenue streams, particularly for conservative content creators.
The legal action follows a GOP congressional report that exposed GARM’s monopolistic practices within the advertising industry. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) led the charge, arguing that GARM and the WFA have used their dominance in the market to silence conservative voices by limiting their access to advertising revenue. Jordan described this as a blatant attempt to control public discourse by financially strangling dissenting viewpoints.
Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, addressed the lawsuit by emphasizing the broader implications for free speech. “This lawsuit is about more than just damages,” Yaccarino stated. “It’s about fixing a broken system that allows illegal boycotts to undermine the marketplace of ideas and limit free expression.”
On Thursday, the WFA announced that it would temporarily suspend all GARM-related activities while it continues to defend itself against the lawsuit. The organization described the suspension as a necessary step in light of the ongoing legal challenges, though it remains confident in its compliance with competition laws.
