Facebook has not made “no commitment,” according to an organizer of the boycott

Photo: Jim Watson, Agence France-Presse
Sheryl Sandberg

One of the four organisations for the defence of civil rights at the origin of the wide boycott advertising against Facebook was “very disappointed” at the end of a meeting Tuesday with the social network, accused of not fighting enough against content that promotes racism, discrimination and hatred.

“I am very disappointed that Facebook continues to refuse to be accountable to its users, its advertisers and society in general “, has assené Jessica Gonzalez, co-chair of the association of Free Press,after the interview video with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO, and the number two, Sheryl Sandberg.

Ms. Gonzalez has promised that the boycott, already attended by more than 900 companies, would continue as long as Facebook does not take ” no commitment to act “.

The movement was launched a few weeks ago by the primary advocacy organization for the civil rights of African-Americans, the NAACP, as well as by the Anti-Defamation League, which fights anti-semitism, Color of Change and Free Press, against a background of protests against racism and police violence throughout the country.

“I was hoping to see humility and a deep reflection on the disproportionate influence of Facebook on public opinion, beliefs, and behaviors, as well as the many wrongs he has caused in real life. Instead, we were treated to more dialogue and no action, ” continued Mrs. Gonzalez in a press release.

Changes announced

Before the meeting, Ms. Sandberg was conscious of the importance of what is being played. Its page on Facebook, she noted that the teleconference was held ” in the context of what is perhaps the most important social movement in the history of the United States, and the best — and perhaps last — chance for our nation to take action against the racism that permeates our country.”

It also claimed that the social network was about to announce developments in its publication policy following discussions with advocates of civil rights, but also relying on an audit conducted in-house.

“We are making changes, not for financial reasons or under pressure from businesses who are advertising, but because it is the right thing to do,” she said, adding that Facebook was trying for years to reduce the presence of publications hateful on the network, in response to the many voices that accused him precisely of not having made enough efforts in this direction.

In an email sent to The canadian Press on Thursday, Facebook reported they had made investments in artificial intelligence, so that 90 % of hate speech are processed before the users report them, and have banned 250 organizations supremacist white of Facebook and Instagram. While acknowledging that there were still things to do.

Adidas, Puma, Levis, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Ford, Unilever (Lipton, Magnum, Dove, etc)… : more than 900 companies have suspended their purchases of advertising in July on the social network at $ 1.73 billion daily users. A movement that has overwhelmed the us border.

In Canada and in Quebec, the government Legault joined the movement, alongside several financial institutions and companies in quebec such as the National Bank, the Mouvement Desjardins and the Laurentian Bank.

Elsewhere in Canada, the five largest banks (Scotia, Royal, CIBC, Montreal and TD, as well as brands like Lululemon and MEC have also already indicated that they would cease temporarily to make advertising on Facebook.

With The Duty