Telecom giant is latest to come on board « #StopHateforProfit » campaign targeting Facebook for content widely seen as racist and inciting violence.
San Francisco — Verizon is joining an escalating movement to siphon advertising away from Facebook in an effort to pressure the company into doing more to prevent racist and violence-inspiring information from being shared on its social networking service.
The decision announced Thursday by one of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies is part of an boycott organized by civil rights and other advocacy groups under the rallying cry of « #StopHateforProfit. » The protest, spurred by last month’s killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, is supposed to last through July.
« We have strict content policies in place and have zero tolerance when they are breached, we take action, » New York-based Verizon said in a statement. « We’re pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable. »
Verizon noted that it has previously stopped advertising at other popular online destinations, such as Google’s YouTube video service, when it has felt its promotions might appear alongside content inconsistent with the company’s values.
