Lawmakers write to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook and Instagram drug advertisements

Nandini Roy Choudhury, writer

Brief News

• A bipartisan group of federal legislators sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressing concern about the company’s failure to prevent the publication of illicit drug advertisements on its platforms.
• The legislators cited reports from The Wall Street Journal and the Tech Transparency Project that revealed a proliferation of drug advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
• The lawmakers found it concerning that Meta is still running these ads despite being under investigation by federal prosecutors for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs.

Detailed news

A letter was sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg by a bipartisan group of federal legislators on Thursday, expressing their apprehension that the company is not taking the necessary steps to prevent the publication of illicit drug advertisements on its platform.

The House members cited recent reports from The Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, which revealed a proliferation of advertisements on Facebook and Instagram that directed users to third-party services for the purchase of prescription medications, cocaine, and other recreational drugs.

“The Wall Street Journal reported on March 16, 2024, that U.S. federal prosecutors have been investigating Meta for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs,” the lawmakers wrote. “On July 31, 2024, the Wall Street Journal once again reported that Meta was “running ads on Facebook and Instagram that steer users to online marketplaces for illegal substances” instead of promptly addressing the issue and fully removing the illicit content.

They found it particularly concerning that Meta is still running advertisements, despite the fact that the company is under investigation by U.S. federal prosecutors for “facilitating the sale of illicit drugs.”

There are 19 authors of the letter, including Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.). They observed that the advertisements were “approved and monetized by Meta” and were not concealed on private social media pages or the dark web. The ads, which “contained blatant references to illegal drugs,” were readily accessible to media outlets and researchers, while Meta’s internal processes appeared to have overlooked them, according to the letter.

“We have consistently been informed by Meta that users are attracted to your platforms due to the personalized experiences and content you offer. However, you employ sensitive personal information to direct this personalization through advertisements and content,” the legislators said. “We in Congress have endeavored to establish data privacy and security protections for Americans on numerous occasions. However, we have been met with opposition and friction from Meta, who have asserted that we would significantly disrupt the personalization you are offering.”

They forwarded Zuckerberg a list of 15 inquiries that were designed to elicit additional information regarding the manner in which the Facebook parent is addressing the issue. They requested that he respond by September 6.

Meta acknowledged the letter’s receipt and stated that it intends to respond. The company provided the following statement to CNBC, which it had previously provided to the Journal when the initial story was published:

Source : CNBC News