Microsoft (MSFT -1.84%) is part of a rapidly growing list of big companies pulling their advertising from Facebook (META 1.54%) and its photo-sharing site Instagram, various reports in the media have revealed.
Axios broke the story Monday, citing an internal Microsoft chat transcript it had obtained access to. It quoted the tech giant's chief marketing officer, Chris Capossela, as writing that "[b]ased on concerns we had back in May we suspended all media spending on Facebook/Instagram in the US and we've subsequently suspended all spending on Facebook/Instagram worldwide."
The exact nature of Microsoft's concerns was not specified, although in the transcript, it cited examples of what it considers "inappropriate" material: "hate speech, pornography, terrorist content, etc."
Image source: Microsoft.
Earlier this month, the Stop Hate for Profit activist campaign called on Facebook's advertisers to pause their buying on the company's sites for the month of July. This is in protest against what the group believes is Facebook's refusal "to take responsibility for hate, bias, and discrimination growing on their platforms." The campaign has called for the company to better police what it characterizes as misinformation and hate speech.
A who's who of big-name companies have responded to Stop Hate for Profit's campaign by pulling their Facebook and Instagram ad buys. These include Coca-Cola, Levi's, and Diageo.
It should be noted that Microsoft has not officially joined this campaign.
Last Friday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted that his company would take more active measures, like policing content that incites violence or contributes to voter suppression. Stop Hate for Profit, however, described these as "meager steps," and so the pause campaign continues.
Microsoft has not yet issued an official statement on the pulling of its Facebook/Instagram advertising.
