By Katie Paul and Sheila Dang
(Reuters) – Organizers of a growing Facebook Inc
More than 900 advertisers have signed on to the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign, organized by social justice groups including the Anti-Defamation League and Free Press, to pressure the world’s largest social media network to take concrete steps to block hate speech and misinformation.
“Facebook approached our meeting today like it was nothing more than a PR exercise,” Free Press Co-Chief Executive Jessica Gonzlez said in a statement. “But boycott coalition leaders and advertisers understand that the #StopHateForProfit effort is about the lives, safety and freedom of our communities.”
The campaign, which calls for advertisers to pause their Facebook advertising for the month of July, has outlined 10 changes it wants to see from Facebook, including allowing victims of severe harassment to speak with a Facebook employee and giving refunds to brands whose ads show up next to offensive content that is later removed.
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Katie Paul and Sheila Dang; Editing by Chris Reese and Richard Chang)
