The nonprofit Center for Intimacy Justice (CIJ) has made a formal complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that Facebook, Instagram and Threads parent company Meta is still banning advertisers and censuring ads across its social media sites that feature women’s sexual health promotions.
This comes just over 18 months after the CIJ released a report describing what it saw as Facebook’s “censorship of health ads for women and people of diverse genders.”
That report revealed that all 60 health businesses studied, which focus on women’s health and health for people of diverse genders, had experienced Facebook rejecting an advertisement at some point
The CIJ report also found that Facebook suspended half of survey respondents’ advertising accounts. This included promotions and educational campaigns for areas such as bladder control, breast pumps, endometriosis and fertility. The company went so far as to block certain ads containing the words "vaginal," "vaginal health," "menopause" and "OB/GYN," categorizing them as "adult content" or advertising "sexual pleasure" in some cases, according to CIJ.
The CIJ alleges a double standard, stating that while promotions and terms related to male sexual health were not censured or banned, the same treatment was not extended to similar content concerning women's sexual health.
About nine months after that report was published, in January 2022, the CIJ found that Meta had implemented certain changes to its sexual health advertising policies. The updated policies now allow "advertisers to run ads that promote sexual health, wellness, and reproductive products and services." However, the nonprofit group claims Meta is still rejecting these types of advertisements.
The CIJ recently announced that it filed a complaint about Meta with the FTC. Although the complaint was made this spring, the CIJ has only now decided to make it public.
In the complaint, the group alleges that the social media giant engages in "unfair and deceptive trade practices." While Facebook and Instagram claim to allow all sexual and reproductive health and wellness products and services to run, the group contends that in reality, they consistently and systematically refuse ads targeted toward women and gender expression while allowing those aimed at men.
The CIJ alleges this is a violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota), Peter Welch (Vermont), and Rep. Adam Schiff (California), are supporting the complaint. They are urging the FTC to take action if it determines that Meta has violated federal laws.