Many corporations do not post ads on Facebook. Reason: Facebook does not respond to fake news and hateful comments. The company announced changes.
Mark Zuckerberg, president of Facebook
/AFP
Facebook changes its approach to questionable content. The company has announced that in the future it will mark the positions of politicians if they violate the rules of use. This also applies to content that US President Donald Trump disseminates on a social network. According to the head of the company, Mark Zuckerberg, posts claiming that persons of a certain origin, religion or sexual orientation pose a threat to safety or health are to be removed.
In recent weeks, Facebook has been criticized because, unlike Twitter, it has left untruthful Trump allegations on the site. A few weeks ago, Twitter began posting US President posts that were not factually accurate, a special link that straightens Trump’s statements.
Facebook boss was also criticized by his employees. At the same time, several companies have announced that they will not place ads on the portal. This boycott is currently receiving significant support from the consumer goods giant Unilever and the car manufacturer Honda. Both companies have announced that they will not place ads on social networks and Instagram in the US.
The boycott of the Unilever group affected not only Facebook but also Twitter. The Dutch-British company, justifying its decision, cited corporate responsibility in dealing with controversial entries on the web – especially in the face of the political atmosphere in the US. According to the management of Unilever, Facebook and Twitter must do more, especially in the case of hateful comments and posts leading to divisions during the election campaign in the country. After the decision by Unilever, Facebook and Twitter came under heavy pressure on the stock market.
Honda announced that it will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram in July to send a signal against “hatred and racism.” Several other companies, including the American mobile giant Verizon, and well-known travel brands The North Face and Patagonia have joined the #StopHateforProfit initiative.
Coca-Cola does not limit its boycott to Facebook, but as head of the company James Quincey said, all ads on all online networks will be suspended for at least 30 days. Quincey demanded that web portals display greater “transparency and accountability”. He added, “there is no room for racism in the world and there is no room for racism on social networks.”
Last week, American civil rights organizations called on companies to boycott Facebook, which is to be hit at the most sensitive point. They are ads. Facebook generates almost all of its turnover from advertising revenue. The American wave of protests against racism and police violence has once again strongly fueled criticism of this social networking site for its too liberal approach to controversial posts.
