• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, August 16, 2024

A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter Thursday to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressing concerns about illicit drug ads sold on its platforms -- including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp -- and asking him more than a dozen questions (see below) about Meta's business model and practices, including how much ad revenue Meta generates from illicit drug advertising.

In the letter, which cites recent Wall Street Journal coverage implying Meta has been willfully complicit in monetizing the ads, lawmakers said they were "particularly concerned about the impact these advertisements have on children and teenagers. In 2022, an average of 22 minors, ages 14 to 18, died in the U.S. each week from drug overdoses. This is driven not by an increase in illicit drug use, but rather by the contents of drugs becoming deadlier due to the influx of fentanyl into the United States. Fentanyl is often found in counterfeit oxycodone, benzodiazepines, and other prescription pills – all of which have been found on your platforms, including in advertisements.

Meta appears to have continued to shirk its social responsibility and defy its own community guidelines. Protecting users online, especially children and teenagers, is one of our top priorities. We are continuously concerned that Meta is not up to the task and this dereliction of duty needs to be addressed."

The lawmakers asked Zuckerberg to disclose the answers to these questions by September 6:

• 1. How many illicit drug advertisements has Meta discovered across its platforms?

• 2. How many illicit drug advertisements have been reported to Meta on its platforms it did not discover?

• 3. How much revenue has Meta collected from these advertisements for illicit drugs across all platforms?

• 4. What processes does Meta use to review and approve drug-related advertisements? Were these processes followed for the aforementioned ads?

• 5. What action has been taken against these advertising entities?

• 6. What actions have been taken to prevent these entities from continuing to advertise on your platforms, whether through their current accounts or others?

• 7. Of the advertisements found to be in violation, on average, how long were they available on the platforms before they were taken down?

• 8. How many users viewed these advertisements?

• 9. How many users interacted with these advertisements?

• 10. Of these users who viewed or interacted with these advertisements, how many of them were minors?

• 11. What will Meta do to prevent illicit drugs from being advertised on your platforms in the future?

• 12. What governmental authorities are Meta consulting with and referring action to regarding these drug related advertisements?

• 13. Does Meta review each advertisement prior to tailoring or targeting them to users?

• 14. Do you believe Meta needs to have health information to provide tailored or targeted advertisements to Americans?

• 15. Was Meta using the personal health information of its users to deliver or target these ads?