Extend Facebook boycott from US to Europe, activists urge.

Activists are calling for Facebook's US advertising boycott to be extended to Europe after its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, dismissed the effects of the campaign in a staff meeting.

A growing number of companies have stopped advertising on Facebook following criticism that the platform was not doing enough to combat hate speech on its sites.

Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the British non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, said: “There is a very strong argument to be made that advertisers should be boycotting Facebook in Europe too.

“In the US, I think the issue of Facebook's role in spreading hate is highly political, but in Europe it is generally accepted by all sides as a serious issue.

“Perhaps that took some of the fire and energy out of calls for Facebook to change its behavior. But most polls show that in Europe there is an even stronger desire for Facebook to be held accountable for the hate speech and misinformation that spreads on its platform. ”

In response to the criticism, Zuckerberg last month announced a series of changes to the platform's hate speech policies, banning content that demonizes immigrants and further restricting posts that make false claims about the vote.

While some advertisers, including Patagonia and Ford, were able to spend internationally as part of the campaign, others like Unilever only took action in the US. The UK-based conglomerate, which owns brands including Ben and Jerry's and Marmite, explained its decision with reference to "the polarized election period in the US". Unilever did not respond to requests for comment.

Last week, many of the companies joining the boycott announced they would pull all spending globally. Lego chief marketing officer Julia Goldin said the company would "take immediate steps to carefully review the standards we apply to advertising and engagement on global social media platforms" and would halt all spending for 30 days. “We are confident that solutions exist, but urgent action is needed,” added Goldin.

But the lack of a truly global response, particularly from the biggest advertisers, has been criticized by activists and emboldened by Facebook's senior leadership. According to a report by technology news site Information, Zuckerberg views the boycott as a public relations issue rather than a serious threat and is not planning a major response.

“We are not going to change our policies or address anything because of a threat to a small percentage of our revenue or any percentage of our revenue,” he said, according to the website. “My guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon.”

Advertisers need to ensure their message is clear, Ahmed said. “If you're a big company and you're running ads in the US but not in the rest of the world, that undermines your commitment.

"It is now clear that lawmakers around the world are hesitating to take robust legislative or regulatory action, so it behooves us in civil society, which includes business, to send a clear message to social media companies."

Ahmed's call came after a group of 37 UK charities, including Barnardo, Mind and Parkinson in the UK, threatened to curb spending on social media engagement if platforms such as Facebook did not address hate speech. .