Glock, military style rifle andghost gun“” are all advertised for sale on easily accessible sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Each ad appears to be in direct violation of Meta’s own policies, calling into question the company’s ability to effectively moderate content. Some ads go even further and may violate the law. Local and Federal Law.
Since 2016, Meta has banned advertising for the sale of firearms. The company’s policy simply states: “Ads may not promote the sale or use of weapons, ammunition, or explosives. This includes advertising for weapon modification accessories.”
But more than 230 of those ads ran on Meta’s platform in just over two months, and many of them They allegedly directed users to Telegram for actual transactions.
“TTP’s research shows that meth gives gun traffickers unparalleled influence,” said Katie Paul, director of the Technology Transparency Project. “Until Meta enforces the rules it has on its books, Meta’s advertising engine will continue to be a vector for dangerous weapons that threaten the safety of Americans and people around the world.”
huge reach of meta
Meta’s Business Help Center explains that “ads may appear on Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and the Meta Audience Network.” This means individual ads will appear in users’ individual Facebook and Instagram feeds, as well as in their Stories and Messenger inboxes, giving them massive reach across platforms.
But advertising is only part of the problem.
actual, CBS News Investigation A report released on October 2nd found numerous listings of firearms, pellet guns, and BB guns on Facebook Marketplace that violated the company’s policies. After CBS News contacted Mehta about the list, it was removed, but CBS News continued to search for a new one. A Meta spokesperson said 98.4% of problematic listings on the marketplace are caught by Meta’s systems before they are reported by users.
When CBS News contacted Mehta about the TTP report’s findings on the prevalence of gun advertising, a Mehta spokesperson explained to CBS News that the company’s ad reviews are an ongoing process, both before and after publication. pointed out the advertising policy.
“Through our policies, safety measures and technology, we are committed to providing people, communities and businesses with a trusted shopping experience,” according to the Meta Business blog.
In recent years, several people have been charged with selling firearms and illegal gun accessories through meta platforms, particularly Instagram profile pages.
“We enforce our commerce policies through our commerce review system. As part of our ad review process, which includes both automated and human reviews, we conduct several layers of analysis and analysis both before and after an ad is published. detection,” the company said. said in a statement provided to CBS News.
In recent years, several people have been charged with selling firearms and illegal gun accessories through meta platforms, particularly Instagram profile pages.
In 2019, two former police officers He was convicted of conspiracy to sell a firearm without a license, selling a firearm to a convicted felon, and making false statements about the sale on federal firearms license documents. Both promoted guns on their Instagram pages.
Two men based in Los Angeles In June 2024, he was charged with selling more than 60 firearms, including untraceable firearms.ghost gun”, he revealed the gun with the serial number scratched off through his Instagram account. Both suspects have pleaded not guilty.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to CBS News’ questions about how prevalent gun sales are on social media platforms.
It’s unclear whether the allegations in these cases relate to specific ads or simply posts to the feed. However, advertising is frequently used across the Meta platform to expand the reach of businesses and profiles, and is a revenue driver for the company.
Furthermore, each ad on the platform is supposed to be reviewed by the meta system before being published. Facebook’s 2021 announcement states, “Our ad review system is designed to review all ads before they’re published. This system relies primarily on automated technology to We apply our advertising policies to the millions of ads that run. Mostly automated, we rely on our teams to build and train these systems, and in some cases manually run ads. We are confirming.”
Research Meta ads
From June 1, 2024 to August 20, 2024, TTP will advertise in its Meta Ads Library “a set of gun-related terms: pistol, Sig Sauer, Glock, Glock 17, Glock 19, Glock 43, Draco, rifle, Ruger, Ammunition, ammunition, automatic switch, automatic fire, bullets.”
Two of TTP’s search terms, “automatic switch” and “automatic sear,” refer to illegal machine gun conversion devices. These small, inexpensive devices can be easily attached to semi-automatic firearms and quickly turned into fully automatic weapons, allowing users to fire up to 1,200 rounds per minute. They have been illegal since 1986.
Thirty-four of the ads found by TTP were for car stickers and switches. Two of the photos included a photo of a switch with a swastika design.
Most of the gun ads identified by TTP (215 out of 237 total) were run on Instagram. The platform remains one of the most popular social networks for American teens. According to a 2023 Pew Research study, approximately 59% of teens ages 13 to 17 use Instagram.
Many of these ads also reached Instagram users in EU countries, where gun sales are highly regulated. Meta data shows that one ad reached more than 15,500 adults in the EU, specifically the Netherlands and Portugal.
Most ads direct users to Telegram to complete the actual sale. Telegram is not owned by Meta and has been heavily criticized for its reluctance to enact any kind of moderation against its users. In August, the owner Telegram was arrested by French authorities. The Paris public prosecutor’s office said he was detained as part of an investigation into conspiracy. Complicity in cybercrime Transferring or creating child sexual abuse materials, drug trafficking, etc. Some of the Telegram accounts found in the TTP investigation advertised international shipments, potentially violating numerous international laws governing arms sales.
In a statement to CBS News, a Telegram spokesperson said, “Telegram already removes millions of pieces of harmful content every day, but further strengthening our moderation is a top priority in 2024.” said.
slip through the cracks
Gun safety advocates have long criticized tech companies for not doing enough to police gun sales.
“Meta has clearly promised to block gun sales from its platform, and Meta has failed to do so,” said Nick Spurina, senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. That is clear.”
A Meta spokesperson said in a statement that the company took “actions” on 1.9 million pieces of firearms content on Facebook and 242,000 pieces of firearms content on Instagram between April and June 2024. ” he said. They said that over 99% of its content was captured before being reported by users. These numbers do not include advertising.
A Meta spokesperson said the company “took action” on 1.9 million pieces of firearms content on Facebook and 242,000 pieces of firearms content on Instagram between April and June 2024. He pointed to a recent Community Standards Enforcement Report. They said that over 99% of its content was captured before being reported by users. These numbers do not include advertising.