Mark Zuckerberg, chief govt officer of Meta Platforms Inc., throughout an interview on “The Circuit with Emily Chang” at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
Jason Henry | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
A Republican congressman slammed Meta on Thursday over what the lawmaker referred to as an insufficient response to considerations about illicit drug ads on Fb and Instagram.
Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg characterised a letter despatched by Meta to a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday as “unacceptable,” claiming the corporate failed to deal with the particular questions the politicians despatched to CEO Mark Zuckerberg in August.
The inquiries to Meta centered round latest studies from The Wall Road Journal and the nonprofit Tech Transparency Undertaking (TTP) that exposed a proliferation of Fb and Instagram advertisements steering customers to third-party providers the place they may purchase prescription drugs and leisure medication like cocaine. The lawmakers supposed the listing of 15 questions to assist decide the prevalence of illicit drug advertisements on Meta’s apps, the quantity of views and interactions the advertisements obtained, what number of minors engaged with them and the actions Meta has taken in opposition to the accountable teams.
“Meta’s response not solely ignores a lot of the questions posed in our letter, but in addition refuses to acknowledge that these illicit drug advertisements have been authorized and monetized by Meta and allowed to run on their platforms,” Walberg mentioned in a press release. “That is unacceptable. Meta should reply for its negligence and the ensuing influence on customers, particularly kids and teenagers.”
Meta declined to remark.
In its letter to lawmakers, Meta Vice President of World Authorized Technique Rachel Lieber mentioned that the corporate shares lawmakers’ considerations “concerning the public security and well being risk brought on by the opioid epidemic.”
“We all know this drawback impacts many People, typically with tragic outcomes, which is why combating drug trafficking on-line is larger than any single platform,” Lieber mentioned within the letter, which was obtained by CNBC. “At Meta, we stay dedicated to enjoying an vital function within the resolution.”
Lieber defined within the letter that Meta’s insurance policies “prohibit shopping for and promoting illicit medication throughout our apps” and that the corporate has varied measures and assets that it makes use of “to detect and take away drug-related content material that violates our insurance policies.”
Meta “has repeatedly skirted direct questions from members of Congress, the media, and the general public concerning the a whole bunch of advertisements for illicit medication on its platform,” TTP Director Katie Paul mentioned in a press release.
“Meta tries to deflect blame and push a ‘complete of society’ method,” Paul mentioned. Meta is “benefiting from proving paid amplification to drug trafficking websites that will not have the attain with out Meta’s promoting platforms.”
Walberg’s feedback come after Zuckerberg, throughout a reside podcast recording in San Francisco, mentioned Meta ought to push again tougher “when folks make allegations concerning the influence of the tech business or our firm” that aren’t based in any reality.
“One of many issues that I look again on and remorse is I believe we accepted different folks’s view of a few of the issues that they have been asserting that we have been doing fallacious or have been liable for that I do not truly suppose we have been,” Zuckerberg mentioned on the occasion on Tuesday.
Learn Meta’s letter to lawmakers under:
