Unilever threatens to pull ads from online ‘swamp’ of fake news, extremism

Unilever is warning digital platforms like Google and Facebook to address the proliferation of fake news, or the company will stop advertising with them.

Unilever marketing head Keith Weed is delivered a speech Monday at an advertising conference detailing his concerns with the spread of concerning content on social media.

“We cannot continue to prop up a digital supply chain … which at times is little better than a swamp in terms of its transparency,” Wood said.

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Unilever, which owns brands like Dove, Axe, Good Humor and Ben & Jerry’s, reportedly spends close to $2 billion annually on digital advertisements.

Unilever’s ultimatum comes as social media companies have appeared multiple times in recent months on Capitol Hill to respond to questions about the use of their platforms.

Representatives from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube testified last month before the Senate Commerce Committee about how the platforms are handling the spread of extremist propaganda on the internet. 

Facebook, Twitter and Google representatives appeared before House and Senate committees late last year to discuss how Russia used each platform to spread fake stories leading up to the 2016 presidential election.