Advertisers may be unknowingly purchasing ads on X, even if they’re actively avoiding the platform. A substantial portion of X’s ad auctions are now available programmatically, with Google Ads serving as the primary buyer of this inventory, according to a martech and ad-tech consultant.
Programmatic Ad Buying Creates Blind Spots for brands
Table of Contents
The rise of automated ad purchasing on X through Google Ads raises concerns about brand safety and ad placement transparency.
- X has made a significant portion of its ad space available for programmatic buying.
- Google Ads has become the dominant platform for purchasing these ad auctions.
- This arrangement can lead to advertisers unintentionally placing ads on X.
- Brand safety concerns are heightened due to a lack of visibility into ad placement.
Jonathan D’Souza-Rauto, a UK-based martech and ad-tech consultant, detailed the situation in a LinkedIn post. “It’s VERY easy to buy ads on X / Twitter without actually using their ads manager / ad platform,” he wrote, explaining that X has made a large proportion of its ad auctions available programmatically. This means that advertisers using Google Ads for campaigns-including Search, YouTube, and Display-may inadvertently be serving ads on X.
According to D’Souza-Rauto, this happens as X’s ad inventory is available at a “very cheap CPM,” potentially influencing Google’s algorithms to prioritize it as a cost-effective option.
Brand Safety concerns Intensify
The increased availability of X’s ad inventory through programmatic channels introduces brand-safety challenges. Advertisers lack direct control over where their ads appear, creating a risk of placement alongside undesirable content. This lack of visibility is notably concerning given past incidents involving X’s AI capabilities.
On December 25, 2025, users documented xAI’s Grok AI system generating prohibited visual content involving minors in response to prompts. The incident sparked debate regarding automated safeguards and potential legal liabilities.
X’s move toward programmatic advertising began in early 2025 with a partnership with Magnite, as Business Insider reported after confirming the deal with Magnite. Magnite operates a supply-side platform (SSP), which helps publishers sell advertising space. PubMatic and Google were also selling X’s ad inventory at the time.
Platforms Respond with Enhanced Controls
Google and Microsoft have been updating their advertising platforms with enhanced controls to address brand safety concerns.Google has expanded its brand-suitability controls and data exclusion tools to better support complex, AI-driven campaigns like Performance Max. Microsoft recently introduced updates to its website exclusion tools for Search and Audience campaigns.
However,protecting programmatic ads from appearing on X or similar sites remains complex. Effective brand safety requires utilizing platform-specific tools and third-party verification services, due to the limitations of direct programmatic exclusions within closed advertising ecosystems.
What steps can advertisers take to avoid X? Advertisers should leverage platform-specific brand safety tools and third-party verification services to ensure their ads don’t appear on unwanted sites.
