Facebook executive acknowledges ‘trust deficit’ to advertisers

A top Facebook executive acknowledged the platform has a “trust deficit” in a call with advertisers obtained by the Financial Times as brands join a growing boycott of the social media giant.

Neil Potts, Facebook’s head of trust and safety policy, made the comments on a call convened by the Interactive Advertising Bureau trade body in Canada.

He was asked by a member “why as advertisers we should risk our brands’ reputation by staying on your platform” and how the group was “reconciling the loss of faith in Facebook as a trustworthy source of information,” according to the Financial Times.

“There is a trust deficit. You try to make a decision, and people disagree, and maybe that builds that deficit even deeper,” Potts responded, adding that the company aimed to “eliminate” the deficit. 

A spokesperson for Facebook told The Hill that “it’s normal for us to have conversations with advertisers and discuss issues, including policy matters.”

“This is something we do routinely and will keep doing,” they added.

More than a dozen companies in the last week have joined a campaign to boycott advertising on Facebook in July.

Advocacy groups including the Anti-Defamation League, NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Free Press and Common Sense are behind the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, which criticizes Facebook’s handling of hateful content and disinformation.