Facebook executives have repeatedly promised to fix their platform.
Time and time again, they've failed to deliver.
We catalogued hundreds of Facebook's broken promises
into an interactive database, spanning 16 categories:
Abuse and Nudity
Alcohol and Drugs
Animal Crimes
Bullying and Harassment
Criminal Activity
Firearms
Fraud and Deception
Harm Against Property
Hate Speech
Historical Artifacts
Manipulated Media
Privacy and Image Rights
Regulated Goods
Suicide and Self-Injury
Violence and Incitement
Violent and Graphic Content
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Section I
Broken Promises_
year
0
violations
1
Here’s how it works:
Each news report is represented by a tile, with the color indicating the type of Facebook policy violation, like abuse and nudity.
Other tiles stand for violations like hate speech and
violence and incitement.
violence and incitement.
Together, they paint a devastating picture of Facebook’s Broken Promises.
Scroll to load a database
of major offenses.
of major offenses.
How to read it
Each tile represents a violation and color represents the event type
Abuse and Nudity
Alcohol and Drugs
Animal Crimes
Bullying and Harassment
Criminal Activity
Firearms
Fraud and Deception
Harm Against Property
Hate Speech
Historical Artifacts
Manipulated Media
Privacy and Image Rights
Regulated Goods
Suicide and Self-Injury
Violence and Incitement
Violent and Graphic Content
None
Go to the Methodology to see how we categorized the incidents into event types.
By 2018, we recorded 162 violations.
Voice message from Mark
0:05
2018
By 2019, we recorded 268 violations.
Voice message from Sheryl
0:02
2019
By 2020, we recorded 394 violations.
Voice message from Mark
0:04
2020
By 2021, we recorded 415 violations.
Voice message from Mark
0:02
2021
Section II
Facebook's Response_
Facebook has promised to act when its policies are broken.
“Our policies define what is and isn’t allowed on Facebook technologies.
If content goes against our policies, we take action on it.”
—Facebook policies page, 2021
violations
415
However, Facebook responded or “took action” in less than a quarter of the news reports compiled by TTP.
Even in those cases, its response was often woefully inadequate.
In one case, Facebook promised to investigate.
In five cases, Facebook denied any violation.
In 19 cases, Facebook simply restated company policy.
Overall, Facebook took substantive action, by removing the content or changing its policies, in just 18% of cases.
When responding to reports, Facebook often drew on cookie-cutter PR statements:
1/31/2018
VIOLATION #30
Robert Goodwin's murder recorded and posted on Facebook
Topic
Violence and Criminal Behavior, Objectionable Content
Event type
Violence and Incitement
Violent and Graphic Content
“We want everyone using Facebook to feel safe...”
Read full statement
11/1/2019
VIOLATION #256
Vaccine advocates face bullying, harassment on Facebook
Topic
Safety
Event type
Bullying and Harassment
Hate Speech
“We want members of our community to feel safe and respected on Facebook...”
Read full statement
We analyzed Facebook’s responses to identify the patterns.
Facebook used versions of these four phrases repeatedly:
It's not easy, we want to get better
17 occurrences of this sentence
2018
2019
2020
2021
We rely on a combination of technology, human review and reports from our community
24 occurrences of this sentence
2018
2019
2020
2021
We decided to remove this content based on the suggestion of our experts
27 occurrences of this sentence
2018
2019
2020
2021
We do not allow this content because it violates our Community Standards
31 occurrences of this sentence
2018
2019
2020
2021
Facebook has systematically failed to police its platform despite repeated promises by its executives.
It routinely permits violations of its policies on violence, hate speech and other topics.
When called out by the media, it rarely acts to fix the problem, resorting instead to recycled PR statements.
The time for talking is over. With Facebook unable or unwilling to clean up its platform, it’s time for regulators to step in.
■
TTP has been exposing Facebook’s Broken Promises for years. Explore the series_
Broken Promises
February 28, 2022
On Facebook, Far-Right Militias Stoke Trucker Convoy HeadedFacebook has failed to remove U.S.-based militia groups from its platform. Now they’re organizing support for the trucker protests making their way to Washington.
Broken Promises
October 01, 2021
Facebook’s Repeat Fail on Harmful Teen AdsFacebook restricted ad targeting of teens following investigations by TTP and Reset Australia. But TTP’s latest experiment shows Facebook still hasn’t fixed the problem.
Broken Promises
September 23, 2021
Spot Check: Facebook Still a Haven for Human SmugglingFacebook insists it doesn’t allow human smugglers to use its platform. But TTP’s latest research shows Facebook continues to host a market for illegal border crossings.
Broken Promises
August 17, 2021
Facebook’s New Toxic Stew: Militia Groups and Vaccine ConspiraciesFar-right militia groups flourish on Facebook despite a promised crackdown. Now they’re prime spreaders of misinformation about the Covid vaccines.
Broken Promises
August 05, 2021
False Election Audit Claims Surge on FacebookFacebook failed to stem the flow of election conspiracies that led to the Capitol riot. Now, it’s failing again with misinformation about Arizona’s election ‘audit.’
Broken Promises
June 10, 2021
Human Smuggling Rampant on Facebook Amid Border SurgeTTP found more Facebook pages and groups offering illegal border crossing services. They show prices and routes—and often promise easy passage.
Broken Promises
May 04, 2021
Pills, Cocktails, and Anorexia: Facebook Allows Harmful Ads to Target TeensA TTP experiment found that Facebook approved a range of troubling advertisements for children aged 13 to 17. The findings echo a similar study in Australia.
Broken Promises
April 16, 2021
Facebook Teems with Human Smugglers Luring MigrantsFacebook says it doesn’t allow human exploitation. But smugglers are using the platform to offer migrants illegal passage across the southern U.S. border.
To build this tool, the Tech Transparency Project collected more than three years of reports showing violations of Facebook's own policies.
Keep scrolling to explore the database.
