Sony’s PlayStation brand has joined up with #StopHateForProfit, a campaign aimed at convincing businesses to halt advertising on social media giant Facebook. As a participant, Sony will not be advertising PlayStation products on Facebook, as well as the Facebook-owned platform Instagram in July 2020. [Thanks, GamesIndustry]
In a statement, Sony said:
In support of the #StopHateForProfit campaign, we have globally suspended our Facebook and Instagram activity, including advertising and non-paid content, until the end of July. We stand for working (and playing) together for good.
#StopHateForProfit is run by a coalition of multiple civil rights groups and nonprofit organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Color of Change, Common Sense, Free Press (FP), the Leage of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), Sleeping Giants, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Mozilla. The campaign demands Facebook curb the proliferation of hate speech, misinformation, and harassment on the platform, through a series of “recommended actions” that include establishing civil rights infrastructure, independent audits, policy updates, and the removal and deplatforming of existing hate speech. Over 800 brands and companies have joined the campaign, including major names like Starbucks, Ford, HP, Boeing, and even Microsoft. Microsoft recently sold its Mixer streaming service to Facebook Gaming.
It remains to be seen how much concrete change will result from the #StopHateForProfit boycott. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly said that the advertisers would be back “soon enough.”
The #StopHateForProfit campaign will last through the month of July 2020. Individuals that wish to participate can sign a petition on the official website or post on social media with the #StopHateForProfit hashtag.
