Facebook will label rule violations as Coke, Pepsi, Starbucks join ad “pause”

Enlarge / Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaking about Facebook News in New York, Oct. 25, 2019. (credit: Drew Angerer | Getty Images)

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company will change the way it handles rule-breaking speech from high-profile politicians in the future amid an advertising boycott that has drawn participation from large firms across several sectors.

Several nonprofits, including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and Color of Change, launched the Stop Hate for Profit campaign about two weeks ago. The boycott accuses Facebook of a "long history of allowing racist, violent, and verifiably false content to run rampant on its platform" and asks advertisers to "show they will not support a company that puts profit over safety."

The boycott drew early support from outdoor apparel retailers Patagonia, The North Face, and REI. By Friday, the movement seemed to hit critical mass as food and personal care behemoth Unilever said it would suspend US ad campaigns on both Facebook and Twitter for the rest of the year. Telecom giant Verizon also said Friday it would suspend Facebook advertising for the time being.

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