This morning, senior executives from the UK’s biggest creative and media agencies, holdcos and adtech companies testify that the advertising industry is shrugging off responsibility for its role monetising online hate groups and influencers.
In their words:
“Many of those who dedicate time every day to creating hateful content - whether they be racist, homophobic or misogynistic influencers - simply could not do so without us.
In Britain, our industry relies on a set of narratives: that media agencies don't have full sight of the adtech supply chain; that online hate content is for the tech platforms to fix; and that the heightened risk of retaliation and legal threats… prevents us from taking meaningful action.
While there is an element of truth in all these statements, they have become excuses not to act.
At the moments that count, we consistently choose to tell government that ‘we are already under too much pressure and there’s nothing we can do’. We tell ourselves – and if asked colleagues, investors and clients - that it is too complex, risky or expensive to do anything other than accept that financing racist, misogynistic and hateful content is inevitable. We have decided that funding hate is a cost of doing business.”
Click the button below to read the complete statement.