X announced an exclusive agreement with digital ad-tech firm Integral Ad Science. Lisa Utzschneider, CEO of IAS, stated that her organization is offering X's technology for pre-bid brand safety applications. This comes in the wake of reports from non-profit associations and independent researchers stating that hate speech and inappropriate content have been plentiful on the platform since Elon Musk's acquisition last year.
X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is gambling that a new ad-tech partnership coupled with more protective safety measures for brands will persuade advertisers who have pulled out in the months since Elon Musk took ownership to return. On Tuesday, X said it signed a one-year arrangement with Integral Ad Science, which sells ad-verification technology. IAS CEO Lisa Utzschneider said that the firm is providing its pre-bid tools, which are normally used by companies to make sure their online ads are not presented near disputable content before an auction is held. She pointed out that, “We categorize the content on behalf of marketers prior to them running their ads to make sure that the setting is brand safe and brand suitable for the advertiser."This collaboration follows ongoing reports from third-party researchers and non-profit associations asserting that hate speech and inappropriate content have escalated on the platform since Musk took over in October. Musk and X have denied the claims and last week sued the non-profit organization Center for Countering Digital Hate after they accused Twitter of not taking action against those paying to post offensive and racist material.IAS's technology has been employed by Twitter for years, but the pre-bid characteristic is novel and will be made available on X during a trial or beta period during the "back half of this year," Utzschneider noted. It should be available more extensively across the platform "by the end of the year," she added. Pre-bid brand safety tools can use machine learning to identify where to put ads in a method that complies with a company's apprehensions, although the technology isn't perfect and can sometimes lead to skipped ad chances.IAS supplies comparable brand safety technology to TikTok and Google's YouTube, Utzschneider said. X is exclusively using IAS for the duration of the contract. In addition, X announced in a blog post that they will start testing the use of “sensitivity settings” to help firms disperse their ads in a manner that is more attuned to their levels of forbearance for controversial and explicit content. Twitter said it created an "automated industry-standard blocklist" meant to make sure that ads do not display next to improper keywords on the app's timeline.In July, Musk noted that cash flow was still in the red at the company due to a nearly 50% reduction in advertising revenue plus "heavy debt."On Thursday at 10 a.m. ET, catch CNBC's conversation with X CEO Linda Yaccarino, as she chats with Sara Eisen on "Squawk on the Street," to learn more.Watch: New study finds Twitter bots and Elon Musk posts boosted price of FTX-listed altcoins
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