Meta and Google face accusations of restricting reproductive health advertising and promoting misinformation

Meta and Google are restricting reproductive health information in Asia, Africa and Latin America, a new report finds. MSI Reproductive Choices and the Center for Countering Digital Hate collaborated on the report, which alleges the companies restricted advertising for local abortion providers and allowed misinformation to spread, among other inappropriate behaviors.

Take Mexico, for example. The country legalized abortion in 2023, but abortion services have not been legalized in 32 states in the country. Meta does not allow MSI to share abortion-related advertising content in the country as the ban remains in place. However, local teams reported that other sexual and reproductive health content was also blocked. MSI’s teams in Nepal and Vietnam also responded to the issue, with Meta allegedly removing ads promoting cervical cancer screening and information about intrauterine devices and birth control pills respectively. MSI is now subject to a “total advertising ban” by Meta in both countries, claiming the company has not provided a clear reason. Garner’s team reported that Google blocked their ads for using the term “pregnancy choice.”

“Women and girls are being ignored by these major tech platforms that put their own interests ahead of the public good,” Whitney Chinogwenya, marketing specialist at MSI Reproductive Choices, said in a statement. “Accurate online information is essential for those seeking timely care and A lifeline for people with the facts about their reproductive choices. Yet, anti-abortion groups are able to spread false information and toxic narratives online with impunity. To make matters worse, platforms like Google and Meta are currently enabling and distributing information from this Profiting from dangerous propaganda.”

MSI’s teams in Ghana, Kenya and Nepal reported difficulty contacting Meta and receiving information about why their ads were restricted, although the team in Bangladesh was able to get in touch and resolve their issues. Kenya, Nigeria and Vietnam also face another problem: imitating Facebook pages and websites, sometimes with no difference other than a phone number. MSI asked Meta and Google to remove the scammers, some of whom were soliciting money from potential customers, but claimed the companies delayed or took no action.

Researchers gathered evidence through correspondence and interviews with MSI teams in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Vietnam. Further information comes from an analysis of Meta’s ad library, which the report says shows evidence the company profited from showing false or misleading anti-abortion ads in Ghana and Mexico. Users in the two countries reportedly viewed the ads up to 1 million times between 2019 and 2024. The approved ads include claims that “global powers and international corporations” are paying for the abortion legalization campaign to “exterminate the Mexican population.”

The report also focused on abuses against MSI workers in Kenya, which the group claimed Meta “turned a blind eye” to. Ghana’s team reports that anti-abortion groups use the Meta-owned platform WhatsApp to foment conspiracies around family planning as a way to reduce Africa’s population, while MSI staff “introduce ‘evil’ sex education in schools , to ‘destroy young people'”.

Imran Ahmed, CEO and founder of the Center to Combat Digital Hate, accused social media companies of mining “the personal data of users in the Global South with little concern for protecting human rights and civil liberties there. This reeks of colonialism” – Greedy, arrogant They apply double standards when it comes to treating less affluent markets. They rarely consider or understand the complex cultural and political factors that may deny people their legal rights to reproductive health care, nor are they aware of the limitations of their own content moderation Unbalanced application policies significantly exacerbate these problems.”

Meta is reviewing the findings, but spokesman Ryan Daniels said protector: “We allow posts and ads that promote health care services, as well as discussion and debate around these services. Content about reproductive health must comply with our rules, including our rules about prescription drugs and misinformation, and promotion of reproductive health products or services. Ads can only be targeted to people over the age of 18. We prohibit ads that contain misinformation or mislead people about the services a business provides and we will review the content of this report.”

A Google spokesperson told the publication: “This report does not include any examples of content that violates policy on Google’s platforms, nor any examples of inconsistent enforcement.” Google subsequently responded directly to requests for blocking ads containing the term “pregnancy options.” “If advertising is restricted, it is likely due to our long-standing policies targeting people in sensitive health categories, including pregnancy.”

enjet Meta and Google have been contacted for further comment.