A controversial advertising coalition has caught the attention of one of Congress’ most powerful House committees, as critics allege it has promoted corporate collusion to suppress certain political messages.
The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) describes itself as a “cross-industry initiative” launched as part of the World Federation of Advertisers, which, according to a spokesperson, “was established in 2019 to help the advertising industry address the challenge of illegal or harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetisation through advertising.”
“It was set up following the Christchurch mosque shootings, in which the killer livestreamed the attacks on Facebook,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “This was followed by a number of high-profile cases in which brands’ ads appeared next to illegal or harmful content, such as child pornography and content promoting terrorism. This included a 2017 London Times exposé titled ‘Big brands fund terror with online ads.’”
The group claims to be “non-political” and “voluntary” and says it benefits its members by providing “resources and information about best practices, so they know where their advertising investments go, and avoid posting next to illegal or harmful content, which could harm their brand’s reputation.”
GARM (Global Alliance for Responsible Media) has incurred the wrath of the House Judiciary Committee (Fox News)
“GARM provides a voluntary framework that allows brands to choose what content their ads should appear alongside,” GARM’s website states.
However, GARM’s critics have a different view of the organization and say it has collaborated with dozens of major U.S. corporations to promote boycotts and suppress expression in a way that targets conservatives.
Discussing his views on freedom of speech, GARM’s leader and co-founder, Rob Rakowitz, has expressed dismay at the “extreme globalist interpretation of the US Constitution” and complained about using “principles for governance” and applying them as law from 230 years ago (notably created by white men). With this worldview, GARM pursues “unusual collaborations” to “rise above individual commercial interests”.
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OCTOBER 13: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) speaks to reporters while House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on October 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The House Judiciary Committee released a detailed report Outline of the report It believes that “large companies, advertising agencies, and industry associations participated in boycotts and other coordinated action to demonetize platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and other content that were disliked by GARM and its members.”
GARM is accused of colluding with major companies to take advertising actions against Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Spotify, political candidates, and news outlets including Fox News, The Daily Wire, and Breitbart News.
“The Committee’s monitoring has revealed that GARM has strayed far from its original purpose, and has collectively used its immense market power to suppress voices and viewpoints with which the group disagrees – even intervening in situations that do not involve so-called ‘brand safety’ concerns,” committee chairman Jim Jordan said in a letter to more than 40 companies last week.
“Through its monitoring, the Committee has learned that collusive activity is occurring within the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), of which your company is a member. Specifically, the Committee has uncovered evidence of coordinated action by GARM and its member companies, including boycotts of disliked social media platforms, podcasts, and news outlets.”
“The Committee on the Judiciary is monitoring the adequacy and enforcement of U.S. antitrust laws,” the letter said.
Along with Adidas, the letter was also sent to several other companies including American Express, Bayer, BP, Carhartt, Chanel, CVS and General Motors, asking them to preserve documents related to their involvement with GARM.
Musk has also publicly criticized GARM and suggested Taking Legal Action He issued a statement against the group, labelling it an “ad boycott racket”.
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Activist Rob Rakowitz heads the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. (Getty Images/BetTV/YouTube)
WFA spokesperson Will Gilroy told Fox News Digital this week that “recent allegations of anti-competitive behavior against GARM by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee are unfounded.”
“GARM’s membership is entirely voluntary. Its framework and tools are intentionally broad, and individual companies are free to review, adopt, modify or reject them as they see fit,” Gilroy said. “The decision of where and when to advertise is always up to the individual advertiser, collaborating with their agency partners where relevant.”
“Recent conversations with industry leaders demonstrate that GARM’s work remains valuable and even more relevant with the continued evolution of digital media,” he added. “As such, GARM will continue to live up to its commitment to helping its members pursue more responsible marketing practices.”
