Outdoor brand The North Face has decided to stop running ads on Facebook, as civil rights organisations in the United States are calling for a boycott of the company (and its subsidiaries like Instagram).
#StopHateforProfit
Facebook is making its money on hatred and racism, according to the increasingly popular message from various civil rights organisations in the United States. After the death of George Floyd, the anti-racism movement is now also turning against Mark Zuckerberg’s company, claiming that the platform does not do enough to combat the spread of hateful and racist messages. It calls for companies to stop running ads on Facebook and related platforms such as Instagram.
According to Business Insider, The North Face is the first major company to respond to this call. In a tweet on Friday, the clothing company announced it would stop paying for ads in the United States until the social network has adopted a stricter content policy. “We know that for too long harmful, racist rhetoric and misinformation has made the world unequal and unsafe, and we stand with the NAACP and the other organizations who are working to #StopHateforProfit”, executive director Steve Lesnard said.
Facebook says to be in conversation with marketers and civil rights organisations. “We deeply respect any brand’s decision and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information”, the platform responded. In the previous quarter, Facebook earned 17.4 billion dollars in advertising, representing 98 % of its total revenue.
