Celebrities join Instagram ‘freeze’

WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:

• Hollywood stars and influencers are lending their support against Facebook advertising by not posting on Instagram for 24 hours.
• Backed by influencers like Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio, the “#StopHateforProfit” campaign called on Instagram and Facebook users to protest against Facebook’s inaction in handling hateful and racist content on its platform.
• While Facebook hasn’t given any comments yet, they cited the platform’s plans in limiting their reach to pro-violence groups and safeguarding the November elections.

High profile celebrities are taking part in a 24-hour Instagram boycott on Wednesday to rally against Facebook’s failure to address the damage it does from mishandling violent and hateful content and misleading election information.

Hollywood stars and influencers including Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio and many more are lending their support to the “#StopHateforProfit” movement’s newest campaign which asks people to refrain from posting on Instagram for a day.

“I can’t sit by and stay silent while these platforms continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation – only to take steps after people are killed,” Kardashian West posted on her account on Tuesday, who with 188 million followers, is one of the top influencers on Instagram.

The ‘freeze’ saw Facebook shares suffer a dip in late Tuesday’s aftermarket trading and were down at 1.7% before the market opened on Wednesday.

Although Facebook declined to comment, the parent company referred to recent announcements about its efforts to limit the reach on its platform, supporters of violence as well as protecting the upcoming U.S. elections.

Another boycott against Facebook advertising in July led by the “#StopHateforProfit organizers together with civil rights groups like Anti- Defamation League, the NAACP and Color Of Change also got the backing of hundreds of big names and nonprofits. Among them were Ashton Kutcher, Mark Ruffalo, Kerry Washington, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx and Sacha Baron Cohen.

DiCaprio has joined the civil rights groups to call on all Instagram and Facebook users “to protest the amplification of hate, racism, and the undermining of democracy on those platforms.”

“We are quickly approaching one of the most consequential elections in American history. Facebook’s unchecked and vague ‘changes’ are falling dangerously short of what is necessary to protect our democracy,” added the organizers.

Furthermore, the movement also denounced Facebook’s mishandling of online material prior to the shooting incident last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin where CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged their mistake of not immediately removing a page of a militia group that ordered armed civilians to enter the town. 

Source: AOL.Com