Verizon on Thursday said it’s halting its advertising on Facebook, joining an ad boycott called for by civil rights organizations aimed at pressuring the social media giant to do more to prevent the spread of hate speech.
"Our brand safety standards have not changed," John Nitti, chief media officer at Verizon, told Ad Age in an emailed statement. "We have strict content policies in place and have zero tolerance when they are breached, we take action. We're pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable and is consistent with what we've done with YouTube and other partners."
The ad pause includes Facebook-owned Instagram.
The move came moments after the Anti-Defamation League sent out an open letter saying the wireless carrier’s ads appeared alongside hateful content.
Verizon is by far the biggest advertiser to join the so-called “Stop the Hate for Profit” campaign, which has also lured Patagonia, REI , The North Face, Ben & Jerry's and Eddie Bauer. Omnicom-owned Goodby Silverstein & Partners—whose clients include PepsiCo and BMW—is also supporting the movement.