The offending ads ran on Meta's Facebook and Instagram sites for more than 10 months. The report documented the violations, which collectively reached more than 29,000 accounts globally, including in the U.S., Europe and India.
Katie Paul, executive director of the project, said Meta claims all ads go through review and approval before running but the offending ads ran anyway.
"Each of them generate billions of dollars in advertising revenue a year for Meta, so much so that the company whitelists them and lets these advertisers get a pass on otherwise violating content that you or I would not be able to upload as an ad," Paul contended.
Many of the ads promoted AI-generated "nudify" or undressing apps — originating from developers in China — which digitally stripped clothing from photographs of minors. Paul pointed out her group notified Meta in August and the company said it would adjust its review process. However, new ads with the same content appeared even after Meta's assurances.
Though Meta removed hundreds of the flagged ads after being contacted, Tech Transparency and other watchdog groups noted the company’s automated review and artificial intelligence detection systems repeatedly failed to catch the content before publication.
Meta has a financial incentive to "look the other way" to keep their billion-dollar advertisers happy, Paul argued.
"In lieu of federal regulations, we've seen states really take on the mantle. We've reached a point where it's very clear the companies cannot be trusted to regulate themselves, to enforce policies they have on paper and to protect American consumers," Paul emphasized.
Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and attorneys general in several states have pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg for answers about moderation failures, profits from illicit ads and compliance with child-protection standards. Paul stressed that, despite federal laws shielding most social media companies from regulation, child sex abuse material is still considered criminal content.
