Ben & Jerry's just joined the growing list of advertisers boycotting Facebook over the platform's lack of hate speech moderation
- Ben & Jerry's is halting paid advertising on Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram over the company's hate speech policies, the company announced in a tweet Tuesday.
- "Facebook, Inc. must take the clear and unequivocal actions to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate," the company said.
- The Vermont-based ice cream maker joins a growing list of advertisers boycotting the platform at the urging of civil rights groups who say Facebook has been unwilling and unable to fix the problem.
- Facebook has faced fierce criticism for its approach to moderating hate speech, particularly in the wake of its refusal to act on controversial tweets by Trump.
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's announced in a tweet Thursday that it will stop advertising on Facebook over concerns about the social media's role in spreading hate speech.
"We will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the US in support of the #StopHateForProfit campaign," the company said. "Facebook, Inc. must take the clear and unequivocal actions to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate."
The announcement comes in response to a call last week from top civil rights groups, including the NAACP and Anti-Defamation League, for advertisers to abandon the platform.
The groups said that Facebook amplifies white supremacists, allows posts that incite violence and contain misinformation, and has remained unwilling to take significant steps to address the issues.
Ben & Jerry's, which has been campaigning against racial inequality for years, joins a growing list of companies that have joined the boycott, including The North Face, Patagonia, and REI.
Facebook has faced growing backlash over its role in spreading misinformation and harmful content, particularly in the wake of its refusal to act on controversial posts by Trump surrounding election misinformation and racial justice protests.