Meta’s platforms — Facebook, Instagram and Messenger — have been running ads for illicit drugs, including cocaine and prescription opioids like oxycodone and Percocet, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The tech giant has been raking in profits off the ads, which violate its own policies and U.S. law against promoting illegal drugs.
The WSJ reported in March that the social media company has been under federal investigation over the operation.
Watchdog group Tech Transparency Project (TTP) analyzed the ads and found Meta ran more than 450 of them in recent months, steering users to an online marketplace for illegal drugs. Some of the ads appeared as recently as July.
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The ads encourage people to “place their orders,” alongside photos of prescription drug bottles, piles of pills and powders.
The group revisited one of their own investigations from December 2021 that found “Instagram allowed teen users as young as 13 to find potentially deadly drugs for sale in just two clicks.” According to the study, those same accounts don’t necessarily produce new content on its platforms but allow drug dealers to comment on older posts, encouraging people to visit a website called Best Drug Plug.
TTP said the site sells drugs, including opioids, ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, LSD and fentanyl.
Some parents who have lost their children to drug overdoses Meta blame Meta for their deaths.
During a congressional hearing in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized directly to parents who said their children died as a direct result of Meta’s failure to protect children on social media platforms.
“I’m sorry for everything you all have gone through,” Zuckerberg said to the parents. “No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, a spokesperson for Meta said the company disabled many of the drug ads within 48 hours of the report going live.
The spokesperson also said Meta’s “systems are designed to proactively detect and enforce against violating content, and we reject hundreds of thousands of ads for violating our drug policies.”
“Our hearts go out to those suffering from the tragic consequences of this epidemic,” the spokesperson added. “It requires all of us to work together to stop it.”
Tags: Advertising, Facebook, Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Opioid Crisis, prescription drugs, Social Media, Wall Street Journal
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
META’S PLATFORMS – FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND MESSENGER– HAVE BEEN RUNNING ADS FOR ILLICIT DRUGS INCLUDING COCAINE AND PRESCRIPTION OPIOIDS LIKE OXYCODONE AND PERCOCET, ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
THE TECH GIANT HAS BEEN RAKING IN PROFITS OFF THE ADS WHICH VIOLATE ITS OWN POLICIES AND U.S. LAW AGAINST PROMOTING ILLEGAL DRUGS – AND THE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANY HAS BEEN UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OVER THE OPERATION.
WATCHDOG GROUP “TECH TRANSPARENCY PROJECT” ANALYZED THE ADS AND FOUND META RAN MORE THAN 450 OF THEM in RECENT MONTHS – STEERING USERS TO AN ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR ILLEGAL DRUGS. SOME OF THE ADS APPEARED AS RECENTLY AS LAST MONTH.
THEY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO “PLACE THEIR ORDERS” ALONGSIDE PHOTOS OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG BOTTLES, PILES OF PILLS AND POWDERS.
THE GROUP REVISITED ONE OF THEIR OWN INVESTIGATIONS FROM DECEMBER 2021 – THAT FOUND “INSTAGRAM ALLOWED TEEN USERS AS YOUNG AS 13 TO FIND POTENTIALLY DEADLY DRUGS FOR SALE IN JUST TWO CLICKS” AND THAT THOSE SAME ACCOUNTS DON’T NECESSARILY PRODUCE NEW CONTENT ON IT’S PLATFORMS – BUT ALLOWS DRUG DEALERS TO COMMENT ON OLDER POSTS, ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO VISIT A WEBSITE CALLED “BEST DRUG PLUG.”
TTP SAYS THAT THAT “SITE SELLS DRUGS INCLUDING OPIOIDS, KETAMINE, ECSTASY, COCAINE, HEROIN, LSD, AND FENTANYL.”
SOME PARENTS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR CHILDREN TO DRUG OVERDOSES SAY META IS TO BLAME FOR THEIR DEATHS.
DURING A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING IN JANUARY –
META’S CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG APOLOGIZED DIRECTLY TO PARENTS WHO SAY THEIR CHILDREN DIED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF META’S FAILURE TO PROTECT CHILDREN ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
(MARK ZUCKERBERG / META CEO)
“I’m sorry for everything you all have gone through. No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
ACCORDING TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL– A SPOKESPERSON FOR META SAID THE COMPANY DISABLED MANY OF THE DRUG ADS WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE REPORT GOING LIVE.
HE ALSO SAID META’S “SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO PROACTIVELY DETECT AND ENFORCE AGAINST VIOLATING CONTENT, AND WE REJECT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ADS FOR VIOLATING OUR DRUG POLICIES” AND “HEARTS GO OUT TO THOSE SUFFERING FROM THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF THIS EPIDEMIC—IT REQUIRES ALL OF US TO WORK TOGETHER TO STOP IT.”
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