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A letter has been sent to Meta demanding answers on why ads for illicit drugs have spread on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
A bipartisan group of 19 elected representatives issued the communication, in a follow up to grave reports from the Tech Transparency Project and the Wall Street Journal.
Their investigations uncovered a plethora of ads on the social media apps directing users to third-party outlets to purchase recreational drugs including cocaine, and other prescription pills.
The letter from Congress members was addressed to company CEO Mark Zuckerberg, giving a deadline of September 6 for a response to be provided. As detailed by the WSJ, the letter was unequivocal in describing the social media publisher’s failings on the issue.
“Meta appears to have continued to shirk its social responsibility and defy its own community guidelines,” the letter stated.
It continued, “What is particularly egregious about this instance is that this was not user generated content on the dark web or on private social media pages, but rather they were advertisements approved and monetized by Meta.”
“No Secret of Their Intentions”
The letter further underlined the gravity of the situation with Meta accused of running these ads despite an ongoing probe by US federal prosecutors “for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs”
Back in March, the Tech Transparency Project reported on the proliferation of more than 450 ads across Facebook and Instagram advising of the availability of various drugs. It wasn’t a covert operation in any way, as the content “made no secret of their intentions,” said TTP.
Their report detailed how they used Meta’s Ad Library for terms such as “pure coke”, “OxyContin”, and “Vicodin”.
“Instead of quickly addressing the issue and fully removing the illicit content, the Congress letter noted how four months later, the WSJ found Meta was still running the ads for the marketplaces offering the drugs.
Meta has vowed to respond to the letter, in full cooperation with law enforcement authorities.
