With the rise of social media, scammers have become more prevalent. They often appear on ads and posts to hoodwink people with their false promises. Elon Musk called out these con artists through a contemporary format that millions love: memes.
Musk’s comments on Tuesday came after he threatened a day earlier to revoke his $44 billion Twitter bid after the company refused to let him conduct an independent review of all scam and bot accounts.
Elon Musk is not happy with YouTube. He claims that the streaming service has been allowing spammers to continue putting up their ads. He even went as far as posting a Spongebob Squarepants meme aimed at them on Twitter in order to raise awareness about the issue.
It’s not surprising that Musk is vocal about his anti-bot and spam sentiments on Twitter as he has been consistently calling them out.
The SpaceX founder has made it known that he wants to turn the company into a free speech platform and reduce fake accounts, adding that the maintenance would help reduce the number of fake accounts.
The social media platform states that only 5% of users are spam or bot accounts yet many people claim this number higher as they see an increase in advertisements for fake products and promos.
Although YouTube prohibits users from uploading content with deceptive practices or content that is meant to deceive others into leaving the site for another filled with misleading advertisements, scammers have found a way to navigate around the policies.
Google’s advertising policy prevents fake advertisements, but it is not always effective.
Content creators such as Mr. Beast echoed SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s sentiments.
“I’ve gotten fake ads of me giving away money at least a thousand times and feel bad for the hundreds of thousands of people that have been scammed,” the YouTuber replied to Musk’s tweet. “I’ve been screaming at them for forever to figure this out.”
With Elon Musk’s frustration, people are wondering if he would also attempt to acquire YouTube. His Twitter deal is on hold for now, but the CEO remains determined and will continue his effort of acquiring this social media platform.
Reference:
Elon Musk Voices YouTube Frustration With a Spongebob Meme on Twitter
