Starbucks is the latest company to say it will pause social media ads after a campaign led by civil rights organisations called for an ad boycott of Facebook, saying it doesn't do enough to stop racist and violent content.
Starbucks said on Sunday that its actions were not part of the "#StopHateforProfit" campaign, but that it is pausing its social ads while talking with civil rights organisations and its media partners about how to stop hate speech online.
The coffee chain's announcement follows statements from Unilever, the European consumer-goods giant behind Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Dove soap; Coca-Cola; cellphone company Verizon and outdoors companies like Patagonia, Eddie Bauer and REI; film company Magnolia Pictures; jeans maker Levi's and dozens of smaller companies.
Some of the companies will pause ads just on Facebook, while others will refrain from advertising more broadly on social media.
In response to companies halting advertising, Facebook executive Carolyn Everson said earlier this week the social networking platform is committed to purging hateful content from its services.
