Mark Zuckerberg Faces Backlash Over Illicit Drug Ads on Meta Platforms
SAN FRANCISCO:
Mark Zuckerberg is under intense scrutiny as Congress demands answers about the presence of cocaine and other illicit drug advertisements on Meta’s platforms. On Thursday, a coalition of 19 lawmakers sent a sharp letter to the Meta chief, seeking clarity on how such ads have slipped through the cracks despite disturbing revelations from the Tech Transparency Project and the Wall Street Journal.
The letter criticized Meta, stating, “Meta seems to have blatantly ignored its social responsibility and flouted its own community guidelines. What makes this particularly shocking is that these weren’t just rogue posts on the dark web or hidden private pages—they were advertisements that Meta approved and profited from.”
In March, the Tech Transparency Project uncovered over 450 ads on Instagram and Facebook promoting various illegal drugs. Many of these ads were brazen, featuring images of prescription pill bottles and bricks of cocaine, and openly urging users to make purchases, according to the non-profit research group.
