Organizers of the boycott against Facebook are trying to get the social media giant to do more to stop hate speech on its platform. They are now set to take their efforts global, they say.
The campaign, “Stop Hate for Profit” is calling on major corporations to halt ad spending on Facebook for the month of July. More than 160 companies, including large companies such as Verizon and Unilever, have committed to the campaign.
Free Press and Common Sense, the Anti-Defamation League and the civil rights group Color of Change began the campaign in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the African-American man killed by Minneapolis police officers on May 25.
“The next frontier is global pressure,” Jim Steyer, chief executive of Common Sense Media and former presidential candidate, said.
Facebook acknowledged that it has more work to do and has teamed up with civil rights groups to develop more tools to fight hate speech.
Facebook makes $70 billion in advertising revenue yearly. About a quarter of that comes from big companies such as Unilever. The great majority comes from small businesses.
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