Elon Musk has himself to blame for Twitter's advertising woes, civil rights groups say

Leaders of large civilian rights groups are denying accusations made by Elon Musk, who said they broke an statement with him by encouraging companies to halt advertizing connected Twitter.

Musk tweeted connected Tuesday that "a ample conjugation of political/social activistic groups agreed not to effort to termination Twitter by starving america of advertizing gross if I agreed to this condition. They broke the deal."

Musk didn't elaborate connected the agreement. He was responding to 1 of his followers, who accused Twitter's caller proprietor of lying erstwhile helium promised successful October that helium would signifier a contented moderation assembly and that "no large contented decisions oregon relationship reinstatements volition hap earlier that assembly convenes."

Over the weekend, aft moving an informal canvass connected Twitter, Musk and the level reinstated the relationship of erstwhile President Donald Trump, who was permanently expelled nether erstwhile absorption aft the Jan. 6 insurrection connected the U.S. Capitol.

Twitter enactment successful 2021 feared Trump's beingness and ongoing usage of the tract could pb to further unit arsenic helium continued to falsely assertion that the 2020 predetermination was stolen from him.

Earlier this month, aggregate civilian rights groups urged advertisers to intermission advertizing connected Twitter pursuing a spike successful hatred code connected the tract and aft the institution laid disconnected thousands of employees, a determination they feared would impede the company's quality to mean hateful and different problematic content.

Derrick Johnson, CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said successful effect to Musk's claims connected Tuesday that the civilian rights groups "would ne'er marque specified a deal" and that "Democracy ever comes first."

"The decisions being made astatine Twitter are dangerous, and it is our duty, arsenic it has been since our founding, to talk retired against threats to our democracy," Johnson said. "Hate code and convulsive conspiracies tin person nary harmless harbor."

In a connection to CNBC, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation echoed Johnson's sentiment and said determination was "no specified deal" with Musk.

"Musk is losing advertisers due to the fact that he's acted irresponsibly, slashing contented moderation teams that assistance support brands harmless and gutting the precise income teams liable for maintaining relationships with advertisers," GLAAD said. "The main idiosyncratic liable for the Twitter advertiser exodus is Elon Musk.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, subordinate dean and manager of planetary societal enactment docket astatine the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told CNBC that helium recovered Musk's tweet "vague." The SWC, on with 180 different nongovernmental organizations, sent a missive to Musk past week urging Twitter to follow the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's explanation of antisemitism to "degrade the selling capabilities of antisemites connected the societal media platform."

Cooper said the missive "wasn't a threat" and that the groups didn't "threaten immoderate boycott" against Twitter.

"We're fundamentally asking Elon Musk, who we each cognize is simply a alternatively originative person, to instrumentality enactment successful this area," Cooper said. He said his enactment has seen a noticeable summation successful antisemitic contented implicit the past 2 weeks.

According to Twitter interior communications obtained by CNBC, agencies and brands that paused advertizing connected Twitter aft Musk took implicit the institution are present waiting for updates connected changes to institution leadership, specifically teams moving connected marque safety. They besides privation answers to questions astir however Twitter Blue verification volition enactment successful the aboriginal and however Twitter plans to forestall marque impersonation.

Under Musk's leadership, Twitter rolled retired and promptly rolled back a Twitter Blue Verified subscription service, aft users who purchased the badges were capable to impersonate celebrities, politicians and brands. For example, an relationship created successful the likeness of cause institution Eli Lilly published false tweets saying, "we are excited to denote insulin is escaped now." The institution scrambled to close the misinformation and person the impersonator's relationship suspended.

Advertisers' concerns are not constricted to the issues raised by civilian rights leaders. They besides wanted reassurances that Twitter volition beryllium harmless from hackers, with truthful galore employees resigning oregon laid off, and they're asking for much connection from caller enactment astir changes to the merchandise and company.

WATCH: Musk says Twitter Blue volition relaunch connected Nov. 29