Legislators express meta on drug advertising

• A group of US politicians have written to Meta expressing their concerns about reports promoting the advertising of illegal drugs on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
• An investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found over 450 ads on Instagram and Facebook selling pharmaceuticals and other drugs.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has come under fire from US lawmakers after it was revealed that its platforms were running ads promoting illegal drugs such as opioids, MDMA and cocaine, among others. Reports by the Tech Transparency Project and the Wall Street Journal found hundreds of such ads on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger, even though the content was clearly promoting illegal drugs.

The ads bypassed the company's content moderation systems and allowed users to reach drug dealers through messaging apps. Although Meta has policies against such content, Meta's automated systems failed to block such ads. As a result, a bipartisan group of 19 lawmakers wrote a letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding explanations and action to stop such ads in the future.

The letter

The letter from U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about such ads, particularly aimed at children and young people, especially given that Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, called the opioid epidemic and illegal drug trafficking a “major public health problem.” Meta is also a member of the Alliance to Prevent Drug Harms, whose goal is to stop the online sale of drugs and raise awareness of the risks involved. The letter asked for several clarifications, including:

1. How many advertisements for illegal drugs has Meta discovered on its platforms?
2. How many ads were reported that Meta did not detect itself?
3. How much revenue did Meta generate from these ads?
4. What processes does Meta use to review and approve drug-related advertising?
5. Were these processes followed for the reported advertisements?
6. Measures against advertising companies
7. Measures taken to prevent such companies from continuing to advertise on Meta’s platforms
8. How long were the ads available on meta platforms before they were removed?
9. How many users saw and interacted with the ads and how many of them were minors?
10. What will Meta do to prevent illegal drug advertising on its platforms in the future?
11. Which government agencies does Meta consult with regarding the ads?
12. Did Meta use its users’ personal health information to deliver such ads?

The lawmakers also pointed out that over the years, Meta has consistently resisted protecting users' privacy under the pretext of personalizing its services.

Findings

Following the letter, Meta announced it would remove all reported ads and suspend the accounts responsible for posting the ads. Nevertheless, the incident highlighted failings in the company's content moderation efforts. Moreover, in light of such federal investigations, there are also concerns about the role of large technology companies in stopping illegal activity online.

While lawmakers are pushing Meta to be accountable for the activities on its platforms, the incident also raises questions about the effectiveness of using artificial intelligence in content moderation, as well as the ethical and legal responsibility of social media companies in controlling illegal activities on their platforms.

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