A top ice cream brand is joining a group of companies refusing to advertise with Facebook citing concerns over the tech giant’s policing of abuse.
Vermont brand Ben & Jerry’s announced on Tuesday it would temporarily cease paying advertising to Facebook or the image-based social media platform Instagram after both companies have failed to take “clear and unequivocal actions” to better monitor its services.
“We will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the US in support of the #StopHateForProfit campaign,” the company tweeted. “Facebook, Inc. must take the clear and unequivocal actions to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate.”
We will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the US in support of the #StopHateForProfit campaign. Facebook, Inc. must take the clear and unequivocal actions to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate. >>>https://t.co/7OpxtcbDGg pic.twitter.com/I989Uk9V3h
— Ben & Jerry’s (@benandjerrys) June 23, 2020
Facebook has faced mounting criticism ahead of the 2020 election for what some believe to be lax standards regarding the policing of content on its platform. The ice cream company joins outdoor apparel brands The North Face and REI along with 10 other companies that have pulled advertisement money from Facebook.
“What we want to do is to try to make ourselves right at Ben & Jerry’s,” said CEO Matthew McCarthy at the CMO Summit on Monday. “We always aspire to do the right thing. And we want our partners to do the same thing. So to me, it’s not just about signing on to boycott, which certainly we may do. It’s about what are the actions that we’d like to see happen so that we can collaborate with partners who want to progress the change that we support.”
