A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of U.S. Congress, is gathering evidence of Meta’s violation of its own safety rules and federal laws by allowing users to advertise illegal drugs via its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Acting in response to recent media investigations that Meta has been profiting from ads for narcotics including opioids, ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, LSD, and fentanyl, the lawmakers asked CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a letter to the company on 15 August to answer 15 questions that are likely to lay out the background for a Congress hearing any time soon. 

"What is particularly egregious about this instance is that this was not user-generated content on the dark web or on private social media pages but rather they were advertisements approved and monetized by Meta. […] Many of these ads contained blatant references to illegal drugs in their titles, descriptions, photos, and advertiser account names," it continued, "which were easily found... [and] appear to have passed undetected or been ignored by Meta’s own internal processes," the letter reads.

Openly advertising for ecstasy. Image: TTP

Early in 2024, Zuckerberg already appeared in front of Congress and families whose kids had been affected or even died because of harmful content on Meta's social networks. He apologized for it and promised to do something to address the issue but it’s August outside and the Meta Ad Library, which houses advertisements for Instagram and Facebook, still runs ads promoting the sale of drugs.