Facebook under fire as companies continue to pull advertising

Recent problematic events surrounding companies inadvertently advertising on distasteful pages and groups on Facebook has led many to pull their ads from the social media site.

Moving as a part of a movement promoted by campaigners such as Women, Action & the Media (WAM!) and many others, companies such as Nissan and Nationwide cancelled their advertising after their ads were placed next to images that Facebook users reported as offensive, screen-shot, and circulated widely across the internet.

The head of digital at M&C Saatchi, Christian Purser, said: “[Facebook] do have to take responsibility for content if they are to continue growing their advertising,” and described the complaints as a ‘watershed’ for Facebook advertising.

Facebook has responded to the complaints, saying it will address concerns and remains committed to evaluating and updating its policies, guidelines and practices relating to hate speech.

The events come as a warning for digital advertisers, many of whom may inadvertently be advertising their products next to unsuitable products as a result of problematic algorithms.