Unilever, the company behind brands such as Dove, Lipton and Hellmann’s, is pulling advertising from Facebook and Twitter for the rest of the year, adding to a growing list of companies protesting the social media sites’ handling of hate speech online.
Unilever said in a statement it also plans to pull ads from Facebook-owned Instagram this year. Civil rights groups have been pushing companies to put their weight behind a Facebook boycott because the social media sites continue to allow hateful and harmful content, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society,” Unilever wrote in a statement on its website. It cited “the polarized atmosphere in the U.S.”
Unilever joins Patagonia, The North Face and others in announcing a temporary advertising boycott on Facebook in the last week. Unilever’s ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s had joined the boycott earlier in the week, before its parent company.
Verizon on Thursday said it would pull ads from Facebook and join Stop Hate for Profit, a campaign led by the Anti-Defamation League, Color of Change and other advocacy groups. The campaign calls for advertisers to speak up against hate speech on Facebook and call for the company to implement stricter policies.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Unilever’s decision on Friday. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Twitter vice president of global client solutions Sarah Personette said it has policies in place to protect people online and works to surface marginalized voices.
“We are respectful of our partners’ decisions and will continue to work and communicate closely with them during this time,” she said in a statement in response to Unilever’s ban.
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