Facebook boycott: North Face is first to join civil rights groups in demand to end to hate speech
The North Face is the first major brand to halt advertising on Facebook as part of a boycott organized by civil rights groups over the social network’s failure to crack down on hate speech.
The North Face boycott of U.S. paid advertising began Friday as the nation honored Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
“We’re in. We’re Out,” The North Face tweeted.
The retailer said the boycott would continue until Facebook puts in place stricter policies to stem the flow of hate speech on the platform.
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“We know that for too long harmful, racist rhetoric and misinformation has made the world unequal and unsafe, and we stand with the NAACP and the other organizations who are working to #StopHateforProfit,” Steve Lesnard, The North Face’s global vice president of marketing, said in a statement.
The campaign, launched this week by civil rights groups including Color of Change and the Anti-Defamation League, comes as the nation grapples with difficult conversations about systemic racism following the death of George Floyd in police custody.
It calls on advertisers to suspend their ad campaigns during the month of July over charges that Facebook allows incitement to violence against Black users fighting for racial justice while censoring them for calling out racism.
Facebook issued a statement in response to The North Face’s announcement.
“We deeply respect any brand’s decision and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information,” Carolyn Everson, vice president of Facebook’s global business group, said. “Our conversations with marketers and civil rights organizations are about how, together, we can be a force for good.”
A 2019 ADL survey found that Facebook was the online platform where most Americans using social media reported experiencing hate and harassment. More than 55% of Facebook users reported hate and harassment on the platform, the survey found.