FILE PHOTO: The logo of Facebook is seen in Davos, Switzerland Januar 20, 2020. Picture taken January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

(Reuters) – Several U.S. civil rights groups have called upon some of the world’s largest companies to pause advertising on Facebook Inc, saying the social network is not doing enough to stop hate speech on its platform.

The groups, which include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), on Wednesday launched here a “#StopHateforProfit” campaign that calls for halting advertising on the social network in July.

“The campaign is a response to Facebook’s long history of allowing racist, violent and verifiably false content to run rampant on its platform,” the groups said.

In a newspaper ad that urges large corporate advertisers to “send Facebook a powerful message”, the groups said: “Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence.”

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The death of African American George Floyd at the hands of police last month triggered widespread protests and prompted several large corporations to re-examine issues around diversity and racial inequality.

The world’s largest social network has already come under fire over Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s decision not to challenge inflammatory posts by U.S. President Donald Trump on the ongoing protests against police brutality and racial discrimination in the United States.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday advertisers should use their leverage to hold social media companies accountable. Pelosi was speaking at an online forum about COVID-19 social media misinformation.

The rights groups also include Sleeping Giants, Color Of Change, Free Press and Common Sense.

Reporting by Ayanti Bera in Bengaluru; additonal reporting by Ellizabeth Culliford; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty

You May Also Like

Apple Vision Pro Buyers Returning Headset Due to Discomfort, Productivity Issues: Report

Apple Vision Pro went on sale in the US for the first…

Amazon opens its $1.5 billion air hub in Kentucky in latest push to speed deliveries

An Amazon-branded Boeing 767 freighter, nicknamed Amazon One, flies over Lake Washington…

Alibaba’s Lazada cuts staff across Southeast Asia in fresh round of layoffs

Lazada is the third-largest e-commerce player in Indonesia, after Sea Limited’s Shopee…

Google’s recently promoted Search boss earned cash and stock worth $55 million last year

In this article GOOGL Yichuan Cao | NurPhoto | Getty Images Google‘s…