#StopHateForProfit: Our statement on Facebook advertising

As of 1 July, for one month, Freedom from Torture has paused all paid advertising on Facebook and associated platforms, in solidarity with the Stop Hate for Profit campaign.

Facebook has not taken responsibility for the racism, discrimination and bias that proliferate across its platforms. Enough is enough. A failure to fix these problems is a threat to democracy everywhere.

As a human rights organisation, we stand strongly against racism in all its forms: direct and indirect, intentional or otherwise. 

As an organisation that works with torture survivors seeking asylum in the UK, we see how racism fuels public hostility to refugees in this country and how this is embedded in our political systems and policies.

In our Safe Place campaign and collaborative Lessons Not Learned report last year we called out the politics of hate and anti-immigrant sentiment. 

Social media can be a force for good. For Freedom from Torture, it is an important means for us to communicate with our supporters, fundraise, amplify campaigns and highlight injustice.

But we cannot ignore that Facebook algorithm has also monetised and amplified hate speech. In recent weeks Facebook has posted supportive messages for the Black Lives Matter movement – while anti-Black racism made up 7 of the 10 top performing posts about the movement.

Facebook's unprecedented reach makes this a global problem. By amplifying fake news and dangerous, inflammatory, far right content, they are putting human lives at risk.

Along with many other UK charities and corporations worldwide, we will not spend money advertising on Facebook during July. We hope this will cause Facebook to take decisive action to eliminate the promotion of hate on its platforms.