Idaho companies join ad boycott against Facebook over hate-filled posts and misinformation
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Five companies with a large presence in Idaho have joined an increasing number of businesses that have pulled their advertising from Facebook.
Albertsons Cos., Micron Technology, Chobani, HP and ClifBar are among dozens of companies that have temporarily suspended social media advertising to call attention to what they say is inadequate oversight of hateful speech and misleading content.
Chobani, the New York yogurt maker that operates a plant in Twin Falls, pledged “action over advertising” in announcing a stop to paid ads on Facebook and other social media for the month of July.
“We’ve always stood against hate & bigotry and it is our duty to help change these platforms,” Chobani said in a post on Twitter, adding the hashtag #StopHateForProfit.
In a statement, Albertsons said it is committed to holding conversations that reflect the Boise company’s “genuine desire to boldly face inequity and injustice head on.” The company said bold steps are needed to combat hate speech and misinformation.
“During the month of July, we will pause social media advertisements and work with the platforms to identify, develop, and implement necessary changes,” Albertsons said in its statement. “We are confident we can help spark lasting change that finally extends the promise of our country’s highest ideals to all, no matter what.”
Micron, which employs more than 6,000 workers in the Treasure Valley and about 34,000 worldwide, said in a statement it has paused social media advertising as the Boise company evaluates its advertising strategy to “ensure it aligns with our values.”
“Micron greatly values diversity, and believes bias, racism and other forms of discrimination, including hate speech, have no place in our society,” Micron said in its statement.
HP, which employs 1,700 people in Boise, said in a statement that it expects all of the platforms on which it advertises to uphold policies that prevent its ads from appearing next to objectionable content.
“We have expressed deep concerns to Facebook and are stopping U.S. advertising on the platform until we see more robust safeguards in place,” HP said. “We are also reviewing our social media strategy across all markets and platforms, and we will take additional actions as needed to protect our brand and combat hateful content.”
Clif Bar, which operates a plant in Twin Falls, said in a statement that it stands with those fighting to uphold the civil rights of Black Americans.
“Unfortunately, too many people experience violent and racist hate speech on Facebook’s platforms — speech that threatens their civil rights, disregards their dignity and spreads misinformation,” the company said. We will suspend advertising on Facebook and Instagram globally in July to pressure them to adopt stricter policies to help curb systemic racism, starting with removing dangerous hate speech and misinformation.”
More than 600 companies are taking part in an advertising boycott to pressure Facebook into taking a stronger stand against hate speech. Following weeks of protests against police violence and racial injustice, major brands have for the first time joined together to protest still-prevalent hate speech on Facebook’s platforms by taking aim at the social network’s $70 billion in annual ad revenue, the Associated Press reported.
The Stop Hate for Profit campaign, organized by a group of civil rights organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP and Color of Change, are rallying businesses to “hit pause on hate” and remove ads from Facebook in July. The social network took in more than $70 billion last year in revenue, its main source of income.
“Let’s send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence,” the group wrote on its website.
The groups called on advertisers to boycott Facebook after Zuckerberg failed to take action on inflammatory posts by President Donald Trump. One post suggested that looters might be shot amid unrest following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees during a virtual town hall last week that he was reluctant to give in to the boycott.
“We’re not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue,” Zuckerberg said, according to The Information, which covers the tech industry. “My guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough.”
Zuckerberg said Facebook receives a large portion of its advertising revenue from small companies, not large brands.
Facebook lost $60 billion in market value earlier this week as companies joined the boycott, but its stock shares have rebounded since then, Business Insider reported. Shares of Facebook, which closed at $232.62 on Friday, June 26, fell to $209.50 on Monday before rising to $233.42 on Thursday.
Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs and communications, said Wednesday that the company “does not benefit from hate” and encouraged critics who are “angry about the inflammatory rhetoric President Trump has posted on our platform and others” to vote in the upcoming election.
“The only way to hold the powerful to account is ultimately through the ballot box,” Clegg said in a letter to AdAge.
