Ad boycott strikes at heart of Facebook’s business model

Over 400 firms have joined the #StopHateForProfit campaign to protest hate speech on the Internet that has them suspending ads on Facebook and Instagram for the month of July. Others have gone further and halted their advertising on all social media. — Dreamstime/TNS

PARIS: Adidas, Puma, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Unilever, Ford... not a day goes by without another big brand pulling ads from Facebook and other social media, a campaign that is weakening advertising-dependent sites but whose ultimate impact remains uncertain.

Over 400 firms have joined the #StopHateForProfit campaign to protest hate speech on the Internet that has them suspending ads on Facebook and Instagram for the month of July. Others have gone further and halted their advertising on all social media.