The North Face joins Facebook ad boycott campaign

San Francisco, June 20 (IANS) Outdoor apparel brand The North Face has joined the Facebook ad boycott in the wake of its handling of disinformation and hate speech, saying they are pulling all Facebook and Instagram advertising for July.

The North Face announced the decision in reply to a tweet by civil rights groups NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and the Anti-Defamation League known as #StopHateForProfit.

"We're in. We're out @Facebook #StopHateForProfit," The North Face tweeted on Friday.



"The North Face is halting all activity and U.S. paid advertising with Facebook until stricter policies are put in place to stop racist, violent or hateful content and misinformation from circulating on the platform," the company said in a statement.

Outdoor equipment retailer REI also said it will join the boycott, reports CNN.

"For 82 years, we have put people over profits. We're pulling all Facebook/Instagram advertising for the month of July", REI tweeted.

Recruiting company Upwork also said it would be joining the Facebook ad boycott campaign.

In a statement to CNN Business, Carolyn Everson, VP Global Business Group Facebook, said that they "deeply respect any brand's decision and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information".

The social network is facing criticism for its inaction over Trump posts that glorified violence in the aftermath of the death of African-American George Floyd.

Facebook on Friday finally removed a Donald Trump campaign ad featuring a symbol used by Nazis for political dissenters, saying the ad violated its policies.

The ad with an upside-down red triangle symbol was posted under accounts for Trump.

Several former and existing Facebook employees wrote an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, criticizing his inaction over controversial posts from Trump, calling him to start fact-checking world leaders and labelling harmful posts.

--IANS

na/