Disney joins the growing July Facebook Ad boycott

Disney has significantly reduced its spending on Facebook and Instagram ads amid concerns about the social media platform’s enforcement of its content policies, The Wall Street Journal reported. It joins a list of large companies that have cut back on Facebook ads as part of an effort to compel the social media giant to change how it handles hate speech and misinformation on its platforms.

The monthlong #StopHateforProfit boycott organized by a coalition of civil rights organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Color of Change, and Sleeping Giants kicked off July 1st and initially included companies like North Face, REI, Hershey, Honda, Ben & Jerry’s, and Verizon.

Other companies not part of the formal boycott that have pulled ads from Facebook and other social platforms included Coca-Cola, Lego, Starbucks, and Unilever. Taking it a step further, Microsoft suspended its advertising on Facebook and Instagram through August.

According to the WSJ, Disney has paused ads for its news Disney Plus streaming service on Facebook, and paused ads for its Hulu streaming service on Facebook’s Instagram platform. Disney spent about $210 million for Disney Plus ads on Facebook in the US in the first half of 2020, the WSJ reports, and spent $16 million for Hulu ads on Instagram between April 15th and June 30th.

Disney and Facebook did not respond to requests for comment Saturday. A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement last month that it remains “focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information.”

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