Facebook Hate Speech Issue, Boycott Goes Global
FACEBOOK GLOBAL BOYCOTT – Major advertisers on the biggest social media platform are backing out over Facebook’s hate speech issue.
Since the death of George Floyd, millions voiced out against injustice, racism, and police brutality. However, Facebook continued to display lapses in its hate speech policy as thousands of hateful content were still uploaded daily.
As such, the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign has called on major companies in Europe to join the Facebook ad boycott. The campaign was launched last month and had over 160 companies join in.
READ: Facebook Blocks State-Controlled Posts’ Ads – Cybersecurity Head
Among the major companies that support the campaign are Verizon Communications and Unilever. All these big companies have signed to stop buying ads on Facebook for the month of July in a bid to pressure the social media platform into creating a comprehensive hate speech policy.
Due to the demands for more action, Facebook itself acknowledged the issue and teamed up with civil rights groups and experts. Together, the social media platform aimed to create better tools to fight hate speech.
According to ABS-CBN, Facebook said they have invested in artificial intelligence and allowed it to recognize 90% of hate speech before users report it. Still, social justice groups still remained frustrated due to Facebook’s lack of action regarding misinformation and hate speech.
If they think they are done based on Friday, they are sorely mistaken.
We don’t need a one-off policy here and there. We need a comprehensive policy.
Jessica Gonzalez, co-chief executive of Free Press
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