Hate Speech on Facebook

[Commentary] Facebook belatedly moved to further restrict hate speech that glorified violence against women after an organized social media campaign caused some companies like Nissan, the automaker, to withhold advertising from the site. The companies said they acted after they became aware that their ads might have appeared next to the offensive content.

It was only after advocacy groups like Women, Action & the Media and The Everyday Sexism Project mounted a campaign, sending 5,000 e-mails to Facebook advertisers and coordinating petitions signed by more than 200,000 people, that the company reacted publicly. The company’s slow response may be indicative of a deeper problem in technology and Internet-based companies — most of them are primarily run by men. Facebook is, of course, a notable exception in that its chief operating officer is Sheryl Sandberg, who recently wrote the book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” This episode shows that sexism is a deeply entrenched problem that society has to battle collectively because individual voices far too often go unheeded.