San Francisco – Verizon is joining a growing movement to deflect Facebook advertising in an effort to pressure the company to do more to prevent the sharing of racist and violence-inspiring information on its social media service.
The decision announced Thursday by one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies is part of a boycott organized by civil rights and other defense groups under the war cry of “#StopHateforProfit.” The protest, spurred by last month murder of george floyd by the Minneapolis police, it’s supposed to last until July.
“We have strict content policies and we have zero tolerance for violations, we take action,” New York-based Verizon said in a statement. “We are pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable.”
Verizon noted that it had previously stopped advertising in other popular online destinations, such as Google’s YouTube video service, when it felt that its promotions might appear alongside content inconsistent with the company’s values.
In her own statement, Facebook executive Carolyn Everson said the company respected Verizon’s decision and remains committed to purging hateful content from its services.
“Our conversations with marketers and civil rights organizations are about how together we can be a force for good,” said Everson, vice president of Facebook’s global business group.
Organizations that urge companies to participate in the boycott include the NAACP and the League Against Defamation.
ADL Executive Director and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt stated in an open letter Thursday that “hate speech, incitement and disinformation policies are inequitable. Their services to victims of bullying are inadequate. The proximity of its advertising location to hateful content is casual. ” rights audit transparency reports are not helpful to the civil rights community. “
He noted an instance in which a Verizon ad was posted alongside “a video of the QAnon conspiracy group based on hateful and anti-Semitic rhetoric.”
Other advertisers who have pledged to temporarily stay out of Facebook and other Facebook services like Instagram include Ben & Jerry’s and three major outdoor equipment companies, Patagonia, The North Face and REI.
Common Sense, one of the boycott organizers, said other companies that agreed to “pause” their Facebook advertising include retailer Eddie Bauer, web browser maker Mozilla and a movie studio, Magnolia Pictures.
The boycott, in theory, could reduce Facebook’s profits, as the company gets most of its money from interest-targeted ads that more than 2 billion people share on its various services. However, investors so far don’t seem concerned about that.
Shares of the Menlo Park, California-based company hit a record high of $ 245.19 earlier this week and have not fallen dramatically. The stock closed Thursday at $ 235.68.
Facebook is also under increasing pressure for what many see as its direct approach to disinformation and inflammatory announcements and posts, including from President Trump’s reelection campaign.
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