Facebook has made a big deal in recent months about cracking down on militias and other right-wing extremist groups on its platform. However, a new report this week from the nonprofit watchdog Transparency Tech Project (TTP) found many of these groups still operating in the open on Facebook despite the ban. 

According to the researchers at TPP, some of these cases go beyond mere negligence. Facebook has actually accepted a “handful” of ads over the past year that were used by extremists to promote their cause and recruit new members. This finding led TPP to accuse Facebook of not only failing to remove extremist content, but actually taking profit from it. 

“Facebook has been directly profiting from this kind of paid messaging on its platform,” the report said. “The disturbing findings show that Facebook is routinely behind the curve in cracking down on domestic extremists on its platform.”

Of course, it’s not exactly breaking news that Facebook relies on user engagement for its revenue. However, when that engagement comes from potentially dangerous content, it becomes a big problem. Facebook has acted (relatively) quickly to address this issue following controversy over militia actions in Wisconsin last month, but it’s clear the social media giant still has progress to make.

Recommended Resources

The Choice of Tech Experts Worldwide. Try 90 days free of Bitdefender and experience the highest level of digital safety.

Surf the web truly incognito. Try Bitdefender Premium VPN, the ultra-fast VPN that keeps your online identity and activities safe from hackers, ISPs and snoops.

System Mechanic 14 – Make your computer run like new. Winner of 200+ Editor’s Choice awards!