NZ advertising community's call to hold social media to account in wake of terrorist attack backed by global brands

The calls come after the alleged Christchurch gunman live streamed the horrific crime online.

Brands around the globe are being urged to hold social media platforms to account, in light of recent failures to block content such as the Christchurch shooting video.

The New Zealand advertising community launched a campaign in the wake of the mosque attacks calling on companies to think carefully about where they place advertising.

Now, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) is backing their call, announcing its support at an industry conference underway in Lisbon, Portugal.

More than 800 industry leaders are there, 80% of whom are brand owners.

"While companies must decide their own approaches, WFA is calling on its members and brands worldwide – in their capacity as the funders of the online advertising system – to put pressure on platforms to do more to prevent their services and algorithms from being hijacked by those with malicious intent," WFA said in a statement.

"The call comes after multiple incidents on some of the world’s biggest digital platforms, including paedophile comments being left in comments below videos of children on YouTube, the glorification of self-harm and suicide content on Instagram and, most recently, the live-streaming of the terrorist attack in Christchurch".

The move, in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack, is a good first step but more can be done, the Prime Minister replied.

Following the mosque attacks, more than 50 companies in New Zealand either pulled ads from social media platforms or were considering the move, according to the Association of NZ Advertisers (ANZA).

WFA says its call to action "reflects the fact that these are not challenges that can be addressed by one country alone but need global action".

WFA Chief Executive Stephan Loerke said: "Marketers must reflect on the extent and terms on which they fund these platforms.

"Our shared goal must be to build an ecosystem that is sustainable and doesn’t undermine people, communities and society at large".

The Comms Council and the ANZA, who are behind the campaign here, are welcoming the support.

"We are delighted that our message is being heard, and acted upon around the world," Comms Council Chief Executive Paul Head said.

ANZA Chief Executive Lindsay Mouat added: "All along we realised that global support, from regulators, business and the wider community would be necessary for social media to change their approach to content moderation."

They believe the global support "will be the catalyst for change".

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