Microsoft Advertising Removes Labels on Conservative Outlets Describing Them as Disinformation
This needs to happen at Google which accounts for the largest majority of online advertising. Needless to say, Geller Report has been banned from these online advertising companies.
Disinformation Inc: Microsoft removes conservative sites from blacklist ‘defunding’ outlets
This is part of a Washington Examiner investigative series about self-styled ‘disinformation’ tracking groups that are secretly blacklisting and trying to defund conservative media outlets. Here you can read other stories in this series.
EXCLUSIVE — Microsoft has removed negative flags for conservative media outlets that have blocked them from reaping key advertising dollars amid the corporation launching an internal review and suspending its subscription to a “disinformation” tracking group’s blacklist used to “defund” disfavored speech, according to internal data obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The Microsoft-owned Xandr, a major advertising company, previously abided by a secret blacklist of conservative news compiled by the Global Disinformation Index, a British organization with two affiliated U.S. nonprofit groups. Now, as Microsoft appears to be taking steps to distance itself from GDI , the company has, for the time being, deleted flags such as “false/misleading” and “reprehensible/offensive” for right-leaning websites, data show.
DISINFORMATION INC: MICROSOFT SUSPENDS RELATIONSHIP WITH GROUP BLACKLISTING CONSERVATIVE NEWS
“I just checked in Xandr’s platform again and can confirm that all rejection flags have been removed from domains,” a senior executive in the ad industry, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told the Washington Examiner.
Xandr had labeled 39 conservative domains as, overwhelmingly, “false/misleading,” the Washington Examiner reported on Friday. Townhall, a website under a Christian publisher called Salem Media Group, was flagged as “reprehensible/offensive.”
Retreat: Microsoft “suspends” use of GDI after secret targeting of conservative sites exposed; Update: Retreat confirmed
It’s a win. It might only prove temporary, but it’s still a win for now.
Last week, the Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky exposed secret blacklists of conservative sites created by the “Global Disinformation Index.” Those blacklists included Hot Air, Townhall, RedState, and Twitchy, and lots of other conservative sites under the ambiguous guise of “disinformation.” No one from GDI or its sponsors ever bothered to contact us to discuss their “assessment,” nor did their reports ever cite any specific data for any of the sites blacklisted, despite a lengthy yet completely data-free discussion of their “methodology.”
GDI’s main partner appears to be advertising units, including Xander, acquired and used by Microsoft. After Kaminsky’s report, Microsoft announced that they would suspend the use of GDI’s services and conduct an internal review of how those blacklists got used. Score another one for Kaminsky:
The Microsoft-owned Xandr, an advertising company, has abided by a blacklist of conservative websites secretly compiled by the Global Disinformation Index, an organization that intends to “defund” and shut down disfavored speech. In the wake of the Washington Examiner‘s reporting, Microsoft has launched a review of its relationship with GDI and has suspended usage of the group’s services.
“We try to take a principled approach to accuracy and fighting foreign propaganda,” a spokesperson said on Saturday evening. “We’re working quickly to fix the issue and Xandr has stopped using GDI’s services while we are doing a larger review.”
Xandr subscribed prior to GDI’s exclusion list, which is said to include at least 2,000 websites, according to public documents. Microsoft’s backpedaling comes after the Washington Examiner revealed on Friday how Xandr has blocked conservative websites from receiving key ad dollars and labeled them as “false/misleading,” “hate speech,” or “reprehensible/offensive.”
The term “disinformation” relates specifically to the use of foreign propaganda. GDI’s blacklists essentially accused the sites targeted of cooperating with regimes hostile to the United States. This is not just wrong but is a terrible injustice to those of us who fall under GDI’s bogus and corrupt targeting. And it’s made worse by the revelation that some of GDI’s funding came from the State Department:
AUTHOR
Pamela Geller
RELATED TWEET:
Some websites flagged as "false/misleading" included @dcexaminer @realDailyWire @RealClearNews @NEWSMAX @BreitbartNews @theblaze + @JudicialWatch
What this means is that Xandr slashed ad dollars from these websites based on the idea that their spreading disinfo pic.twitter.com/yhL2F2lXSz
— Gabe Kaminsky (@gekaminsky) February 10, 2023
EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.
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