A coalition of 19 Democratic and Republican lawmakers has raised serious concerns with Meta, accusing the company of approving advertisements for illicit drugs on its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. The bipartisan group’s letter highlights the troubling presence of ads promoting substances such as OxyContin, MDMA, cocaine, and ecstasy, contradicting Meta’s own Community Standards. This action follows reports of federal prosecutors investigating whether Meta profited indirectly from drug sales on its social media platforms. The lawmakers expressed their outrage, noting that these ads were not user-generated content but were seemingly promoted by Meta itself, thus violating the trust of users and potentially endangering lives.

Meta, in response, stated that its systems actively reject hundreds of thousands of ads that violate its drug policies. The company emphasised its collaboration with law enforcement to combat illegal drug activities across its platforms. Despite these assurances, recent findings by the Tech Transparency Project disclosed over 450 ads marketing illegal drugs on Meta’s platforms, further fueling concerns about the company’s enforcement of its policies. Lawmakers insist on greater responsibility from Meta, emphasising the need to protect users, particularly minors, from the dangers of online drug sales. The ongoing scrutiny from both federal authorities and public advocacy groups underscores the critical nature of this issue.

Source: Yahoo Finance