The social networks Facebook and Twitter are under increasing pressure in connection with the racism debate in the USA. Now the consumer goods manufacturer Unilever no longer wants to advertise on both platforms in the USA – at least for the rest of the year. This was announced by Unilever media officer Luis Di Como in an interview with the “Wall Street Journal” (Friday).
More needs to be done against hate speech, especially with the current polarization of society and the upcoming US elections. The stop of advertising also affects the Instagram platform belonging to Facebook, Unilever also announced.
The list of companies boycotting Facebook is getting longer. These include Verizon, North Face and Eddie Bauer.
Facebook boss Marc Zuckerberg announced that he plans to act more strongly against hate messages in the future and to erase false reports before the US presidential election. Incorrect content that should prevent people from voting in the three days immediately before the November vote would be removed.
In addition, standards for advertising would be raised to block derogatory and hateful messages about ethnicity, religion or sexual preferences. 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 celebrity sender, will be flanked with information in the future. “I stand against hatred and everything that incites violence,” said Zuckerberg.
Facebook had been heavily criticized just a few weeks ago because the network did not remove controversial statements by US President Donald Trump or marked them as problematic. Zuckerberg personally condemned the statements, but at the same time stated that they should be accessible in the public interest. (apa / dpa)
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