Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., was interviewed by “The Circuit with Emily Chang” at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, USA, on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
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One Republican congressman lashes out Yuan Lawmakers on Thursday called the response to concerns about illegal drug ads on Facebook and Instagram insufficient.
Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg described as “unacceptable” a letter Meta sent to a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday, claiming the company had failed to address politicians’ complaints to chief executives in August. Specific questions from executive Mark Zuckerberg.
Meta’s problems focus on recent Report From the Wall Street Journal and non-profit organization The Technology Transparency Project (TTP) has revealed that a surge in Facebook and Instagram ads are directing users to third-party services where they can purchase prescription drugs and recreational drugs such as cocaine. Lawmakers intend to list 15 questions to help determine the prevalence of illegal drug ads on the Meta app, the number of views and interactions the ads receive, how many minors are involved, and the actions Meta takes against responsible groups.
“Meta’s response not only ignores most of the issues raised in our letter, but also refuses to acknowledge that these illegal drug ads were approved and monetized by Meta and allowed to run on their platform,” Wahlberg said in a statement. “This is unacceptable. Meta must be held accountable for its negligence and the impact it has on its users, especially children and teenagers.”
Mehta declined to comment.
Rachel Lieber, Meta’s vice president of global legal strategy, said in a letter to lawmakers that the company shares their concerns about “the threat to public safety and health posed by the opioid epidemic.”
“We know this problem affects many Americans, often with tragic consequences, which is why combating online drug trafficking is more important than any single platform,” Lieber said in the letter obtained by CNBC. . “At Meta, we remain committed to playing an important role in the solution. “
Lieber explained in the letter that Meta’s policy “prohibits the buying and selling of illegal drugs on our apps” and that the company has measures and resources to “detect and remove drug-related content that violates our policies.” .
TTP director Katie Paul said in a statement that Meta “has repeatedly evaded direct inquiries from members of Congress, the media and the public” about hundreds of illegal drug ads on its platform.
“Meta seeks to deflect blame and promote a ‘whole-of-society’ approach,” Paul said. Meta “profits by providing paid amplification to drug trafficking websites that would not be able to achieve the reach of these sites without Meta’s advertising platform.” ”
Warburg’s comments came after Zuckerberg said during a live podcast recording in San Francisco that Meta should work harder to fight back “when people make accusations about the impact of the tech industry or our company,” which are unfounded. No factual basis.
“One of the things that I regret looking back on is that I think we accepted other people’s opinions on certain things, claiming that we did it wrong or were responsible for things that I actually don’t think we did,” Zuckerberg said. .
Read Meta’s letter to legislators below:
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