Patagonia, The North Face among companies pulling ads from Facebook in #StopHateforProfit boycott
Another company is backing an advertising boycott of Facebook, saying the platform has not taken adequate action against "hateful lies and dangerous propaganda."
The apparel brand Patagonia has announced it will pull advertising from Facebook and Instagram, becoming the fourth major company to back the "#StopHateforProfit" advertising boycott, CNN reports. The North Face, REI, and Upwork previously did so as well.
In a Twitter thread, Patagonia said that "for too long, Facebook has failed to take sufficient steps to stop the spread of hateful lies and dangerous propaganda on its platform," and "from secure elections to a global pandemic to racial justice, the stakes are too high to sit back and let the company continue to be complicit in spreading disinformation and fomenting fear and hatred." The company said it will pull its ads at least through the end of July, "pending meaningful action from the social media giant."
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Several organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP previously announced this "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign, calling on companies to pause Facebook advertising during July to "show they will not support a company that puts profit over safety." Facebook in a statement to CNN said "we deeply respect any brand's decision and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information."
Facebook has been under fire in recent weeks for its policies especially after deciding not to take action against posts by President Trump, including one in which he wrote, in reference to Minneapolis protests, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." The civil rights organizations in their boycott announcement blasted Facebook for having "allowed incitement to violence against protestors fighting for racial justice in America."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company's decision in a call with civil rights leaders earlier this month, but they blasted him in a statement afterward, saying they were "disappointed and stunned by Mark's incomprehensible explanations."
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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