US lawmakers question Meta over illegal drug ads on its platform

19 US lawmakers have written a letter to Meta asking about drug-related ads on Instagram and Facebook.

More than 450 such ads were found, each of which was approved and monetized by Meta.

Meta stated that it is against illegal drug use and has always tried to identify and remove content that violates its policies. The company will respond to the letter soon.

19 members of the US Congress, including Representatives Tim Walberg (Republican, Michigan), Kathy Castor (Democrat, Florida), Gus Bilirakis (Republican, Florida) and Lori Trahan (Democrat, Massachusetts), have written a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding an explanation as to why there are so many Advertising for illegal drugs on its platform – Facebook and Instagram.

Meta is also questioned by how it reviews and approves adsespecially in connection with drugs.

The legislator also wants to know how long it takes for the company to notice and remove such ads and If Actions are taken against users who publish these ads. After all, they clearly violate the company's terms of use.

Overall, Meta and Zuckerberg have a List of 15 questions be answered and given until 6 September to answer.

Meta has acknowledged the letter and promised to respond soon. In the meantime, Meta issued a statement saying that its systems are designed to Detecting and removing content this seems to violate his guidelines.

Hundreds of complaints have already been rejected because they were linked to drugs. And the number of complaints is constantly increasing. Investments in and improvements to infrastructure to limit the spread of drug-related content on its platform.

In short, she recognized the seriousness of the situation and promised cooperation with law enforcement authorities to resolve this issue.

“Our deepest sympathy goes out to those suffering the tragic consequences of this epidemic – we must all work together to stop it” – Meta

The greater concern of legislators is the Impact of these ads on minorsThe average number of deaths among teenagers (ages 14 to 18) due to drug overdose increased to 22 in 2022.

It is not because young people are suddenly consuming more illegal drugs – the sudden influx of fentanyl is to blame.

Fentanyl is a deadly drug and is often found in small trace amounts in other drugs, such as counterfeit oxycodone, benzodiazepines and even prescription drugs, all of which were mentioned in the ads on Meta's platforms.

Since Meta’s ads appear to be personalized for each user, teenagers who have even the slightest curiosity about these drugs could end up seeing one of these ads and take the wrong path.

In addition, the EU launched an investigation into Meta in May 2024 because the company does not adequately protect minors on its platforms and promotes addictive behavior.

The background: How did the matter come to light?

The letter follows a series of reports from the Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project that revealed more than 450 ads on these two platforms We're talking about prescription drugs and even hard drugs like cocaine.

What is surprising, however, is that despite all these reports, Meta continues to run these ads.

In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported on March 16, 2024 that U.S. federal prosecutors are investigating this matter. And instead of quickly addressing the problem and removing the illegal ads, Meta continued to run the ads fearlessly.

Meta cannot excuse this, because the ads were not camouflaged or on the darknet. They were “approved and monetized by Meta” and were easily found by media and researchers. Meta can't claim to have missed that.

So unless Meta pulls something out of the hat, the company seems to be in big trouble with this stunt.

Our editorial process

Tech Report's editorial policies focus on providing helpful, accurate content that provides real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge of the topics they cover, including the latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policies ensure that every topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain strict journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real writers.