Disney is a global brand with immense influence and ad-buying power. It should be advertising in ways that support its competitive interests and build its reputation for serving its diverse customers.
But recent reports have shown that it colluded with the world's largest advertising buyers, agencies, industry associations, and social media platforms through the Global Alliance for Responsible Media1 to demonetize platforms, podcasts, news outlets, and others for expressing disfavored political and religious viewpoints.
A product of the World Federation of Advertisers, GARM was formed in 2019 and quickly amassed tremendous market power. WFA members represent about 90% of global advertising, spending nearly a trillion dollars annually.2
GARM's express mission was to "do more to address harmful and misleading media environments," specifically "hate speech, bullying and disinformation," all under the guise of "brand safety."3 GARM leader Rob Rakowitz explained that the "whole issue bubbling beneath the surface" of the advertising industry and digital platforms is the "extreme global interpretation of the US Constitution."4
GARM graded platforms on how much they censored using the above terms as well as terms like "insensitive" or "irresponsible" treatment of "debated sensitive social issues."5 The 2024 Viewpoint Diversity Business lndex6 found that 76% of the largest tech and finance companies have similarly vague and subjective terms. These terms encourage companies—and activists like GARM—to restrict service for arbitrary and discriminatory reasons and let them avoid accountability by hiding censorship behind vague and shifting standards.
For its part, GARM promoted hyper-partisan and censorial groups like the Global Disinformation Index and NewsGuard, which smear many mainstream outlets as "disinformation."7 GARM threatened Spotify because Joe Rogan promoted views it disagreed with on COVID-19. And it infamously boycotted X because Elon Musk loosened some of the platform's censorship restrictions.8
GARM disbanded shortly after public pressure and a lawsuit from X in 2024,9 which ironically evinces how brand-damaging these practices are. But these censorious practices are still prevalent. Many of the "Big Six" advertising agencies that were all a part of GARM, for example, maintain similar policies.10
These policies and Disney's actions create legal exposure under antitrust and anti-discrimination laws.
Disney needs to rebuild trust by providing transparency around these policies and practices. This will assure customers, shareholders, and others that it is protecting, not targeting, free speech and religious freedom.