Group Says Gun Ads On Facebook Violate The Companys Policies

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According to a report released Wednesday by the Technical Transparency Project (TTP), Facebook has violated its own rules by allowing ads for weapons and accessories to appear on the platform.

The platform's parent company, Meta, banned ads promoting the use or sale of firearms and accessories in its advertising policy, but a TTP investigation found that Meta "usually" allowed the ads and its review system informed the company of what was displayed on its sites. that he gave . .

The investigation found 173 gun-related ads that were allowed to appear on Facebook and Instagram between August 15 and 29 alone.

The article introduced the rifles themselves, as well as rifle sights, lighting fixtures, and accessories to speed up the loading of ammunition into rifle magazines.

"Interestingly, some of the notes identified by TTP were for AR-15 rifles - the weapon of choice for mass shooters in the United States - or accessories for use with the AR-15, noting a rifle scope "for the needs of any AR-15 owner." the aforementioned report.

The investigation found numerous advertisements for "firearm raffles," in which guns were raffled off to raise money for individuals and organizations.

These ads appear to have passed Facebook's ad review, which is a largely automated process before all ads are allowed to appear on the platform.

In theory, the review would filter out content that promotes "the sale or use of firearms, weapon modification accessories, ammunition or explosives."

The TTP investigation also raised questions about Facebook's profits from serving ads. Although exact revenue figures are not available, Meta and Facebook rely on advertising to sustain their platform's business model.

TTP's findings highlight another aspect of the matter, one that shows Meta's unusual compliance with the law on gun advertising books. The report concluded that "Meta not only allows this content to reach users who violate company policies, but also makes significant profits from these ads."

A spokesperson for Meta told The Hill that the platform does not allow ads that promote or encourage the sale of firearms and that Facebook is working quickly to fix "critical" violations of the law.

As for TTP's findings, "This report uses a small percentage of 173 of the millions of ads displayed on our apps to present a misleading image."

"In fact, most people who use our apps will never see ads that violate our firearms or firearms guidelines."

Updated at 1:20 p.m

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