North Face Becomes First Big Brand To Join Facebook Boycott

TOPLINE

North Face became the first big brand to commit to an advertising boycott of Facebook called for by top civil rights groups, announcing on Friday that it won’t work with the tech company until issues of misinformation and hate speech are better addressed. 

KEY FACTS

shocking number

Facebook generated $69.7 billion from advertising last year, tailing behind Google as the second-largest digital marketer. 

Crucial Quote

“Let’s send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence,” reads the #StopHateForProfit website. 

key background

While Twitter has been criticized by the White House for doing too much after fact-checking a number of the President’s tweets, Facebook has received criticism from civil rights leaders, employees and more for sitting tight on the other end of the spectrum. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made clear his stance that social networks should not be fact-checking what politicians post. “Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy,” Zuckerberg told CNBC. Inaction on a series of controversial posts from the President, including one from early on in the George Floyd protests that warned “looting” would lead to “shooting,” has incited backlash and renewed accusations that Facebook’s policies allow hate speech, meddling and misinformation to fester. 

Further Reading

“Brands Are To Come Off As Athentic, But A North Face Campaign Highlights The Challenge” (Forbes)

“The Free Speech Face-Off Between Facebook And Twitter: Are Warnings Justified?” (Forbes)

“Facebook will let users opt out of political advertisements” (NBC News)