Unilever joins ranks of companies pulling ads from Facebook

#StopHateForProfit campaign calls on Facebook to do more to stop hate speech and misinformation on its platforms.

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A growing number of United States companies have pulled advertising from Facebook in support of a campaign calling out the social media giant for not doing enough to stop hate speech on its platforms [File: Jon Nazca/Reuters]

 A handful of companies have pulled advertising from Facebook Inc in support of a campaign that called out the social media giant for not doing enough to stop hate speech on its platforms.

Unilever PLC said on Friday that it will stop advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the United States for the rest of the year, citing “divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the US”. 

The consumer goods company, which owns brands like Dove soap and Lipton tea, joins a growing advertising boycott against Facebook as part of the Stop Hate for Profit campaign.

The campaign was started by several US civil rights groups after the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody triggered widespread protests against racial discrimination in the US.

The effort called on Facebook, which owns Instagram, to do more to stop hate speech and misinformation.

Shares of Facebook and Twitter both fell more than seven percent.

“Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary,” Unilever said in a statement.

The Stop Hate for Profit campaign asks businesses not to advertise on Facebook’s services in July. It focuses on specific recommendations for Facebook, though Twitter has also long been under pressure to clean up alleged abuses and misinformation on its platform.

“We have developed policies and platform capabilities designed to protect and serve the public conversation, and as always, are committed to amplifying voices from underrepresented communities and marginalised groups,” said Sarah Personette, vice president for Twitter’s Global Client Solutions.

“We are respectful of our partners’ decisions and will continue to work and communicate closely with them during this time.”

More than 90 advertisers including Verizon Communications Inc, The North Face, Upwork, and Recreational Equipment Inc (REI) have joined the campaign, according to a list by ad activism group Sleeping Giants, a partner in the campaign.

“Our brand safety standards have not changed. We’re pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable and is consistent with what we’ve done with YouTube and other partners,” the telecom operator told Reuters news agency.

Djamel Agaoua, chief executive officer of the messaging app company Rakuten Viber, also took to Twitter to say that his company will remove all Facebook-related contact points from its app. 

Earlier this week, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, a unit of Unilever, said it would pull its Facebook and Instagram ads in the US.

In a statement, a Facebook spokeswoman pointed to its civil rights audit and investments in artificial intelligence that allow it to find and take action on hate speech.

“We know we have more work to do, and we’ll continue to work with civil rights groups, GARM, and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight,” she said, referring to the Global Alliance for Responsible Media.

Other groups in the campaign include the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Common Sense, Free Press and Color of Change.

Source: Reuters