Börse Express – ROUNDUP 3 / Against hate messages: Honda and Unilever stop Facebook advertising

(New: reactions of companies to Zuckerberg announcement)

LONDON / NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – More and more companies are joining in protest against the use of Facebook with hate comments and derogatory content in his services to an advertising boycott. The consumer goods giant Unilever and the car maker Honda announced on Friday that they would no longer advertise in the US on the online network and its subsidiary Instagram. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced on Friday in a livestream that he would act more strongly against hate messages in the future, delete false reports immediately before the US presidential election and raise the standards for advertising. However, according to media reports, some companies subsequently expressed doubts about it.

“We do not believe that Facebook will manage violent and divisive speeches efficiently on its platforms,” ​​US chocolate maker Hershey said in a statement quoted by the USA Today newspaper. “Despite repeated pledges from Facebook to take action, we haven’t seen any significant changes.” The company, one of the world’s leading companies in its industry, also confirmed “USA Today” to join the boycott call and to stop all ads by July. It also plans to cut spending on Facebook and Instagram by a third for the rest of the year.

Even the beverage company Coca-Cola the newspaper is considering suspending its ads on all social media platforms for at least 30 days and rethinking its advertising strategy. “We also expect greater responsibility and transparency from our social media partners,” said a statement from James Quincey, president and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company.

US civil rights organizations called on companies to boycott Facebook in mid-June. This is how the group is to be hit at a sensitive point – Facebook generates almost all of its sales with advertising revenue. The US wave of protests against racism and police violence has again flared up criticism of Facebook for carelessly handling controversial posts. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also made a significant contribution to this, refusing to take action against controversial statements by US President Donald Trump. There was even criticism from our own employees.

Honda announced that it would no longer place ads on Facebook and Instagram in July to send a signal against “hate and racism”. Unilever even wants to forego paid advertising for the rest of the year – not just on Facebook but also on Twitter . The short message service, on which Trump likes to publish his often controversial messages, has also been criticized for some time.

Unilever justified the decision with the responsibility of the company in dealing with controversial contributions on the net – especially in view of the tense political atmosphere in the USA. Facebook and Twitter would have to do more, especially when it comes to hate comments and disparate posts during the US election campaign. The Dutch-British group does not want to cut its US advertising budget, but only redistribute it to other companies.

“I stand against hatred and everything that incites violence,” said Zuckerberg in a live stream on Friday at the company’s headquarters in Palo Alto, in which he announced the planned measures of his company. Incorrect content that should prevent people from voting in the three days immediately before the November presidential election is said to be removed. In addition, pejorative and hateful messages regarding ethnicity, religion or sexual preferences should also be blocked in advertising. Zuckerberg also announced that some Facebook content that actually violates the guidelines of the social network but is relevant to news, for example due to a prominent sender, will be flanked with information in the future.

Facebook also said in a statement that it would invest billions of dollars annually in the security of its community. The group works continuously with external experts to review and update its guidelines. Thanks to this commitment, almost 90 percent of the hate comments were found before users drew their attention. “We know we have more to do,” said a company spokesman. Facebook will therefore develop further instruments, technologies and guidelines.

Previously, several other companies had already, including the US mobile giant Verizon and the well-known outdoor brands The North Face and Patagonia joined the #StopHateForProfit initiative. Unilever – whose ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s was also there – is now going one step further – because the campaign was initially only about an advertising boycott in July. After the announcement by the consumer goods group, Facebook and Twitter came under heavy pressure on the stock exchange./hbr/DP/zb

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AXC0051 2020-06-27/13:05

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