Biden Administration Invests Billions in Ad Group That Censors Conservative Content

A damning new report from the Foundation for Freedom Online claims that the Biden administration has donated billions of dollars to groups that seek to censor conservatives on social media and influence what Americans read and hear in the news.

The Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) was created at the initiative of the Global Coalition of Advertisers, which represents 90% of global ad spending, and American tax dollars flow to the group through four major ad agencies. The first, Omnicom, boasts $5 billion in contracts with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Air Force, and the Army, while IPG has more than $1.5 billion in contracts with the Department of Defense. . WPP made $455 million working for the Navy, while Publicis Groupe has more than $394 million in contracts with the Department of Health.

GARM represents dozens of major corporations, including Walmart, Toyota, Coca-Cola, and Disney, whose members spend nearly $1 trillion a year on advertising. Its extensive censorship system was once described as "Orwellian" by a federal court, and lawyer and law professor Jonathan Turley noted that "the sophistication of this system makes authoritarian regimes like China and Iran look like mere amateurs when it comes to censorship and blacklisting."

House Judiciary Committee Investigates GARM's Censorship of Conservatives
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently released its own report on GARM, revealing how it is using its excessive control over online advertising revenue to pressure social media platforms like Facebook to censor conservatives.

GARM has also attacked Spotify and pressured it to fire podcast host Joe Rogan over comments he made about government policy on vaccines and COVID-19, as well as other opinions that contradict the Biden administration's official narrative. The group has taken action against major Spotify advertisers, including Coca-Cola, warning them that it is concerned about Rogan's opinions.

They also took more direct action against conservative media, trying to scare advertisers away from news sites like The Daily Wire and Breitbart.

The committee has sent letters to dozens of major companies as part of its investigation into government collusion with advertising cartels. The companies include Bayer, CVS, Chanel, General Motors, Adidas and BP. They were ordered to preserve documents and provide information about their activities with GARM to the committee.

The letter said it had evidence that the committee coordinated boycotts of "unpopular" news and media outlets, social media platforms and podcasts. It said GARM "has strayed significantly from its original intent and collectively used its enormous market power to demonetize voices and views with which the group disagrees."

The committee also has evidence that GARM has instructed its members, including former President Donald Trump, not to advertise on banned platforms. Musk called GARM an "advertising boycott group" and threatened legal action. The committee is currently investigating whether the conspiracy violated Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and criminal or civil charges may be filed. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the case may be formally referred to the Department of Justice.

The House committee report warned that "for an organization that depends on speech and persuasion in advertising, GARM appears to hold anti-democratic views about fundamental American freedoms."