By Audrey Conklin FOXBusiness
Activist groups say the social media site promotes white supremacy
The North Face on Friday said it would no longer be publishing advertisements on Facebook amid backlash over the social media giant’s policies.
The announcement came after groups in the “#StopHateforProfit” campaign, launched Wednesday, including Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color Of Change, Free Press and Common Sense, called on large advertisers to cut ties with Facebook.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FB | FACEBOOK INC. | 238.79 | +2.85 | +1.21% |
“It is clear that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are no longer simply negligent, but in fact, complacent in the spread of misinformation, despite the irreversible damage to our democracy. Such actions will upend the integrity of our elections as we head into 2020,” NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS PUSH FOR FACEBOOK AD BOYCOTT
The NAACP’s Twitter page shared Johnson’s quote, to which The North Face replied, “We’re in. We’re Out @Facebook #StopHateForProfit,” along with a link to the #StopHateforProfit website.
The North Face✔@thenorthface
We’re in. We’re Out @Facebook #StopHateForProfit
Learn more: https://www.stophateforprofit.org/ https://twitter.com/NAACP/status/1273595148669267968 …Stop Hate for ProfitTech companies are not doing enough to fight hate on their digital social platforms. They must Stop Hate for Profit. Join the fight.stophateforprofit.org
NAACP✔@NAACP
“It is clear that Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, are no longer simply negligent, but in fact, complacent in the spread of misinformation, despite the irreversible damage to our democracy…” @DerrickNAACP
https://apnews.com/126dffbb05b92c79642008b8426e1826
Groups in the campaign say Facebook amplifies white supremacists, allows posts that incite violence and contain political propaganda and misinformation, and doesn’t stop “bad actors using the platform to do harm.”
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They want to apply public pressure on Facebook to “stop generating ad revenue from hateful content, provide more support to people who are targets of racism and hate, and to increase safety for private groups on the platform.”
The big tech companies have struggled over how to manage the floods of posts and videos that users put on their platforms every day. Facebook’s employees recently publicly criticized Zuckerberg for deciding to leave up posts by President Donald Trump that suggested police-brutality protesters in Minneapolis could be shot.
Facebook signup web page app on Samsung Galaxy S10 (iStock)
As it faces criticism for its policy of allowing politicians to post false information, including about voting, the company is launching an effort to boost U.S. voter turnout.
Facebook took down an advertisement from Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign calling on voters to sign a petition opposing Antifa that displayed a red, upside-down triangle symbol, which some experts connected to a symbol used in Nazi Germany.
“The Nazis used red triangles to identify their political victims in concentration camps. Using it to attack political opponents is highly offensive,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
