Musk’s Twitter deal: Advocacy groups launch ‘Stop the Deal’ campaign to block it

The campaign plans to put pressure on government agencies to review the acquisition, persuade Tesla stockholders to take action against it and ask advertisers to pull their dollars from the platform

PGurus Newsdesk

June 4, 2022

The campaign plans to put pressure on government agencies to review the acquisition, persuade Tesla stockholders to take action against it and ask advertisers to pull their dollars from the platform

Musk’s Twitter deal faces backlash from advocacy groups

Around a dozen advocacy groups have launched a new campaign against Elon Musk to block his Twitter deal, as the micro-blogging platform said the waiting period for the deal has expired under the HSR (Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements) Act in the US.

The group with nonprofits like Accountable Tech, Center for Countering Digital Hate, GLAAD, and MediaJustice, has also asked Tesla stakeholders to ask advertisers to stop spending on the platform.

The ‘Stop the Deal’ campaign includes plans to put pressure on government agencies to review the acquisition and persuade Tesla stockholders to take action against it and ask advertisers to pull spending from the platform.

The $44 billion Twitter takeover deal has been put on hold by Musk as he wants more information on fake accounts on the platform,

The group said in a statement, “Musk would steamroll basic content moderation safeguards and provide a megaphone to extremists who traffic in white nationalism, hate, disinformation, and harassment, further endangering marginalized communities.”

“Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter will not lead to more ‘free speech’ on the platform,” Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, said in a statement.

“It will simply lead to more extreme voices exploiting the platform to stoke hate, violence, and harassment. Social media platforms that are nothing more than toxic cesspools of disinformation are harmful to our society and our politics.”

Earlier, Elon Musk called for an investigation into ‘advocacy’ groups demanding major corporate brands reconsider their decision to fund ads on the platform if Twitter pushes for changes once the Tesla CEO takes control of the platform.

A group of 25 left-wing advocacy groups has written a letter to the biggest brands, including Coca-Cola (CCEP), Disney (DIS), and Kraft (KHC), asking them to make sure advertising deals made with Twitter are contingent that it will keep in place policies to police “hateful conduct, transparency and enforce civic integrity” or risk losing advertising dollars.

[With Inputs from IANS]

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