Tag: Facebook

What a small business that sells wrapped socks by homeless youth and a start-up that makes bracelets from life vests once worn by refugees have to do with the spread of disinformation during the presidential election season?

Nothing, the entrepreneurs who started them thought, until Facebook informed them that their ads had been taken down because they fell into a category of “social, electoral or political issues” blocked by the site.

The social media giant announced last week that it was extending a ban on certain advertisements during the election to prevent the spread of false information. The ban has trapped a number of social enterprises not directly linked to partisan politics.

Businesses related to issues such as hunger, the environment and immigration, many of which rely heavily on social media to drive customers to their websites, have seen their access abruptly cut off.

“We’re just selling socks and trying to do a good thing,” said Sam Harper, 27, co-founder of Hippy Feet, a Minneapolis-based company that employs homeless youth. “We are not trying to advance a particular agenda on homelessness and unemployment.”

“Facebook is thinking about political campaigns, and we are collateral damage in the process,” Harper said.

Entrepreneurs say they don’t blame Facebook for banning lies and deceptive content. But they argue that it is unfair that their welfare businesses are lumped together with politically motivated advertisers. As the crucial holiday season quickly approaches, some fear the ban, extended on November 11 for another month, could lead to their demise.

In the run-up to the 2016 election, misleading and distorted information disseminated by automated Russian accounts and others on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube was designed to influence voters. Some of the reviews generated articles on social issues, such as civil rights and women’s rights, which were found to be divisive.

This election cycle, amid growing pressure to improve ad monitoring, Facebook and several other platforms blocked new political ads ahead of election day and extended the suspension during the contested vote count afterwards.

“The temporary hiatus for ads on politics and social issues in the United States continues to be in place as part of our ongoing efforts to protect the election,” the company said last week when announcing the extension. “Advertisers can expect this to last another month, although it is possible to resume these ads sooner.”

Sarah Schiff, Facebook product manager, said the company had made “tough decisions” to temporarily suspend advertising not only on politics and elections, but also on many social issues, “to protect the integrity of elections”.

“We know it can be disappointing, but we encourage businesses to run ads on other topics and reach people during this time with their organic posts and tools like fundraisers on Facebook and Instagram. Ms. Schiff said in a statement.

The company said business owners who believed their ads had been incorrectly flagged could request a review, either through an automated process or through a personal review.

“The app is not perfect but we are improving over time,” the statement said.

Advertising policy so far has cast a wide net.

“Because you have to implement this on a huge scale, you can’t make exceptions on a regular basis,” said Jessica Alter, co-founder of Tech for Campaigns, a nonprofit that advises Democratic campaigns on their strategy. advertising on social networks. “Organizations and businesses that try to do good are unfairly disadvantaged.”

“If you have a total ban, that’s the unintended consequence,” added Ms Alter, who said she didn’t blame Facebook. “Is advertising meditation political? Yoga?”

The Facebook ad is a lifeline for Epimonia, a Minneapolis-based company that makes and sells bracelets and other items made from the discarded life jackets worn by refugees fleeing on fragile boats to Europe.

The company spends several thousand dollars a year advertising on Facebook, which targets users who have a favorable view of refugees based on the interests listed on their profiles. When an Epimonia ad appears, those who click on it are taken to the company’s website.

“I have been advertising on Facebook for years. It’s very frustrating for me now to be categorized with groups using fake ads for political reasons, ”said Mohamed Malim, 24, a Somali American who started the business three years ago with 2,000. $ remaining on his university scholarship.

Epimonia’s ads were put on hold at the end of October, when Facebook first announced a week-long freeze on certain ads. They have not recovered since, said Mr Malim, who has repeatedly appealed the decision to no avail.

“Not being able to run ads before the holidays could bankrupt us,” said Malim, who employs a handful of refugees to make bracelets, hats and t-shirts.

Three of Epimonia’s banned ads say buying a bracelet would help refugees build new lives in the United States. The ads also indicate that a portion of the proceeds will go to charitable causes.

“The ads were approved but were suspended due to a blackout period,” Facebook told the company. “All broadcast, electoral and political advertising in the United States has been temporarily halted.”

Facebook did not specify what was wrong with the ads, but Mr Malim said he assumed that “since we are talking about refugees in our brand communications, Facebook considers us a political advertiser.”

Given the uncertainty, he decided to postpone the launch of a new clothing line scheduled for next week. “It will be difficult for us to sell and donate to nonprofits if we continue to have this problem,” Mr. Malim said.

Even before the election, Facebook was requiring companies with a social agenda to include a disclaimer in their ads. But businesses and advertising agencies, which place ads for some of them, have reported that Facebook has become more aggressive in disabling ads in recent weeks.

One of the companies targeted was Bridgewater Candle Company, which donates the money from each scented candle it sells to orphans in Haiti, India, and other countries through a Christian organization for purpose. non-profit. Its slogan is “Light a candle, feed a child”.

On November 4, the company was informed by Facebook that an advertisement promoting its mission had been suspended. “The simplest line, ‘With every potted candle, we provide three meals,’ triggered its withdrawal,” said Kelly Barter, marketing manager for Spartanburg, SC. “Facebook sees our restitution mission as a social issue.”

It was the first time since the candle company started advertising on the platform three years ago that an approved ad has been withdrawn. It took a week of back and forth communication with Facebook to resuscitate him.

“This is problematic for an e-commerce business trying to drive sales and educate the public to shut down,” Ms. Barter said. “Fortunately, we were able to cross the roadblock.”

Blueland, which sells refillable and reusable cleaning products, does not ask its customers to donate to environmental causes. But the e-commerce site markets its soap, detergent and dishwater tablets as “a gift to you and the planet” because the products help eliminate polluting plastic containers.

It is on this basis that Facebook recently banned an ad from Blueland that explained how its reusable hand soap prevents single-use plastic bottles from washing in the oceans and going to landfills. Facebook then reviewed the ad at Blueland’s request and allowed it to run without any changes.

“This is something we were able to fix, but it wasn’t the best time when we were about to enter the holiday season,” said Gina Pak, director of marketing for the company.

Ms Pak said she agreed with Facebook’s efforts to address the “big, big issues” during the election, but suggested it was “disruptive” to see the ads removed.

Hippy Feet, which sells wacky and colorful socks with music-oriented names like Sunset Lovers, Fleetwoods and Joplins, is committed to helping homeless teens and young adults by employing them part-time to fill and wrap the orders, screen printing and embroidery.

On the eve of the election, Facebook repeatedly informed Hippy Feet that its ads violated advertising policy, according to a communication provided by the company.

“Their algorithms see words like homelessness and decide we’re political,” said Mr. Harper, who founded Hippy Feet four years ago with a friend.

The company is more reliant on Facebook ads than ever to help increase its online sales as the coronavirus pandemic has kept it from selling as it normally would in holiday markets and bazaars. The company traditionally generates around 40% of its sales during the holidays, when it also employs the most homeless youth in its establishment.

“We’re a little nervous and unsure of where things are going,” said Harper. “It makes us question the safety and sustainability of what we do, if we are affected by something like an election.”

After discussions between Hippy Feet and Facebook, some of the ads were resurrected on the platform at the end of last week; others remain disabled.

“We cannot be mad at the intention of the policy. It’s supposed to make Facebook and the world a safer place, ”Harper said. “We just found ourselves on the wrong side of the stick.”