Updated June 26, 2020, 9:16 p.m.
Facebook and Twitter are heavily criticized for a flood of hate comments, propaganda, spam and fake news. An advertising boycott is supposed to push the online platforms to act more decisively. Facebook now promised improvement.
Facebook is under increasing pressure due to its controversial handling of racist, inflammatory and manipulative content. The consumer goods giant Unilever announced on Friday that it would no longer be advertising US advertising on the online network and its subsidiary Instagram by the end of the year. This means that an ad boycott against the platform that started last week is gaining significant influx. Unilever also has a responsibility to Twitter – there should also be no advertising for the time being.
The Dutch-British group justified its decision with the responsibility of companies in dealing with controversial contributions online – 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. Unilever does not want to cut its US advertising budget, the planned expenditure is now to be distributed to other companies.
“I’m against hate”
Facebook now promised improvement: In the future, they want to act more strongly against hate messages and 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, said Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg on Friday (local time) in Palo Alto.
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.
Hit where it hurts
US civil rights organizations had called on companies to boycott Facebook last week. 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 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.
Under pressure on Wall Street
Previously, several other companies, including the US mobile communications giant Verizon and the well-known outdoor brands The North Face and Patagonia, had 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 company, Facebook and Twitter came under strong pressure on the stock exchange. (best / dpa)
Many companies accuse the Internet giant of doing too little against hate speech, misinformation and bullying.
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