Hyundai Joins List of Brands To Halt Advertising on X Due to Antisemitism Concerns

On Thursday, Hyundai pressed pause on advertising on X (previously known as Twitter), following reports that one of its ads appeared next to an antisemitic and pro-Hitler post on the social media platform.

Nancy Levine Stearns, a user on the platform, shared a post on Wednesday with screenshots of a paid Hyundai ad on top of an antisemitic post from a verified “premium” account. The account shares tweets that reject the Holocaust and promote antisemitic rhetoric.

Following a CNN inquiry that included Stearns’ post, a Hyundai spokesperson reacted, stating, “We have paused our ads on X and are speaking to X directly about brand safety to ensure this issue is addressed.”

Hyundai joins the long list of well-known companies pausing advertising on X, following revelations that its owner, Elon Musk, endorsed an antisemitic theory commonly backed by white supremacists back in 2023.

In an email to CNN, Joe Benarroch, the head of business operations at X, said the platform has suspended the antisemitic account that was beside the ad. He added in the note that the account’s bio also included antisemitic tropes.

Benarroch explained that Hyundai maintained a Corporate-level account on X, initially featuring climate change ads aimed at policymakers. He highlighted that the company’s ad agency did not enable Brand Safety settings, and the campaign proceeded without involvement from X’s direct sales team. X’s Brand Safety settings enable advertisers to ensure their ads are not displayed alongside content that companies might find disagreeable.

Benarroch said, “As a result one ad ran adjacent to a post – that X has since acted on and even suspended the account.”

However, several of these accounts are still active, according to NBC News. When looking into the outlet this week, the news outlet uncovered 150 verified premium accounts that have either “posted or amplified pro-Nazi content.” X News referred to the report as “gotcha articles” and alleged that NBC did not share the full extent of its research with the site.