In the face of an increase in anti-LGBTQ sentiment, Media Matters has identified over 200 ads on Meta containing harmful messaging that violate the company’s advertising policies. While the company confirmed last July that the use of “groomer” rhetoric is prohibited under their policies, it has continued to allow politicians and right-wing organizations to profit from ads that contain this language. This failure to enforce its policies has led to at least $6,400 in revenue for the company.
The rise in anti-LGBTQ sentiment has coincided with a conservative push to enact legislation that strips away the rights of LGBTQ people, especially transgender people. Right-wing media’s misuse of the term “groomer” has helped fuel this sentiment. In response, Media Matters has previously reported on Meta’s failure to enforce its policies, identifying over 150 ads that the company allowed to run on its platforms in 2022 despite their use of harmful language.
Following Media Matters’ reporting, Meta removed 47 of these ads for violating its Advertising Standards. However, Media Matters’ latest analysis found that the company has allowed another 63 ads with similar anti-LGBTQ language on its platforms since October 2021. These 63 ads garnered nearly 1 million impressions and resulted in the company earning revenue.
Despite its policies, Meta continues to allow nearly 70% of the “groomer”-related ads that Media Matters has identified. These ads include those from politicians who are not subject to the same level of fact-checking as other content on the platform. Media Matters’ latest analysis found that the company has allowed new ads containing anti-LGBTQ groomer rhetoric from right-wing candidates and organizations. These ads spread false information and push harmful messaging, which can contribute to the rise in anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
In conclusion, Meta’s failure to enforce its advertising policies has led to the company profiting from ads containing harmful messaging. The rise in anti-LGBTQ sentiment has coincided with a conservative push to strip away the rights of LGBTQ people, making the issue more pressing than ever. Despite removing some of the harmful ads, the company has continued to allow ads containing similar language, and from politicians who are not subject to fact-checking. This problem highlights the need for stricter enforcement of policies and greater accountability from social media platforms.
