Hey there --

It's been just over a week since Elon Musk took over Twitter, and he’s wasted no time in running one of the world’s most powerful communication systems into the ground: 

• He fired 50% of Twitter’s staff including many employees charged with protecting the midterm elections. [1]
• Use of the N-word jumped 500% in the first 12 hours of Musk taking over Twitter and rose over 1,300% in the days that followed. [2]
• Musk fired Twitter safety execs, removed moderation tool access for some staff, and has himself promoted - then deleted - a conspiracy about the assassination attempt on Nancy Pelosi. [3]
• Creation of fake accounts and hateful rhetoric spiked, largely targeting Black users and other historically marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community. [4]

In response, we have been organizing with partners to launch a massive coalition of more than 60 civil rights and civil society organizations calling on Twitter advertisers to stop their ad buys. Already, General Mills, REI, General Motors, Audi, and Pfizer have suspended their advertising on the platform.

And look who’s on notice: Elon Musk himself.

Friend, we are witnessing the real time destruction of one of the world’s most powerful communication systems. Rather than listening to advertisers and committing to critical brand safeguards and content moderation standards, Elon Musk is more concerned with making users pay $8 a month for a blue check mark verification – a plan that will only further Twitter’s disinformation problem. [5] Will you help us continue to hold Musk accountable and fight for a better internet by chipping in $8 today?

Chip in $8

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Advertisers have the power to ensure that Musk doesn’t roll back the existing standards and that Twitter under his watch actually enforces the rules. We’re going to keep the pressure up on them and Elon Musk to ensure that Twitter and other social media platforms continue to uphold and strengthen safeguards to mitigate hate, harassment, and harmful disinformation. Chip in to support us as we take on more unaccountable billionaires.

We've fought tooth and nail since May 2022 to stop Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter from happening. This isn’t the outcome we wanted, but we’re not backing down. 

Thanks for being with us, 

Nicole Gill
Co-founder and Executive Director
Accountable Tech

P.S. Share our letter to Twitter advertisers on Facebook and Twitter if you use those social media platforms.

Democracy depends on common truths. Social media giants are eroding our consensus reality and pushing democracy to the brink. Accountable Tech is fighting back by urging social media companies to serve the public good by strengthening the integrity of their platforms and our democracy. Make a donation to fund our work →

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