Combat fake news or we will pull back ads: Unilever warns Youtube, Facebook

Unilever is threatening to pull back its advertising from popular tech platforms, including YouTube and Facebook , if they don’t do more to combat the spread of fake news, hate speech and divisive content.

“Unilever will not invest in platforms or environments that do not protect our children or which create division in society, and promote anger or hate,” Unilever CMO Keith Weed is expected to say Monday during the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s annual leadership meeting in Palm Desert, Calif.

“We will prioritize investing only in responsible platforms that are committed to creating a positive impact in society,” he says, according to prepared remarks.

Unilever, one of the world’s largest advertisers, is leveraging its spending power to push the digital media industry to weed out content that funds terrorism, exploits children, spreads false news, or supports racist and sexist views. The consumer products giant spent 7.7 billion euros ($9.4 billion) marketing its brands such as Lipton, Dove and Knorr last year, according to the company’s annual report.

In the wake of 2016 election, Google’s YouTube, Facebook and other tech companies have come under intense scrutiny for allowing the spread of misinformation—criticism partly fueled by evidence that Russian actors used their platforms to disseminate information designed to manipulate US voters. Meanwhile, YouTube has taken plenty of heat for running ads alongside extremist, racist and hateful videos, forcing brands to suspend advertising on the site. Most recently, brands were discovered to be appearing next to videos that seemed to attract pedophile viewers.

This is about “having a positive impact on society and whether we as a company want to engage with companies that are not committed to making a positive impact,” Mr Weed said in an interview.