Congressman criticizes Meta's 'unacceptable' response to concerns over illicit drug ads on Facebook and Instagram.

• Meta was criticized by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) for its handling of a bipartisan group of lawmakers' concerns about illicit drug ads on Facebook and Instagram.
• Walberg stated that Meta not only disregards the majority of the questions raised in the letter but also fails to recognize that the illegal drug advertisements were endorsed and profited from by Meta.
• A Meta executive wrote to lawmakers on Monday, expressing the company's concerns about the public safety and health threat caused by the opioid epidemic.

On Thursday, a Republican congressman criticized the inadequate response of Facebook and Instagram to concerns about illicit drug advertisements on their platforms.

On Monday, Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg deemed a letter from Meta to a bipartisan group of lawmakers as "unacceptable," asserting that the company did not adequately address the concerns raised by the politicians in their August letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The lawmakers aimed to investigate the extent of illicit drug ads on Meta's apps, the number of views and interactions these ads received, the number of minors who engaged with them, and the measures Meta has taken against the responsible groups, based on recent reports from The Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP).

"Walberg stated that Meta's response to the questions raised in their letter does not address most of the issues and fails to acknowledge that illicit drug ads were approved and monetized by Meta, which allowed them to run on their platforms. This behavior is unacceptable, and Meta must take responsibility for their negligence and the impact it has on users, particularly children and teenagers."

Meta declined to comment.

In a letter to lawmakers, Meta Vice President of Global Legal Strategy Rachel Lieber stated that the company shares concerns about the public safety and health threat caused by the opioid epidemic.

"Meta is committed to playing an important role in fighting drug trafficking online, which impacts many Americans with tragic results, as Lieber stated in a letter obtained by CNBC."

In the letter, Lieber stated that Meta's guidelines prohibit the buying and selling of illegal drugs through its apps. He also mentioned that the company employs various measures and resources to identify and remove any content that violates these policies.

Katie Paul, TTP Director, has repeatedly evaded direct questions from Congress, the media, and the public regarding the hundreds of ads for illegal drugs on its platform.

"Meta attempts to shift responsibility and adopt a "collective society" strategy, according to Paul. Meta is profiting from promoting paid amplification to drug trafficking websites that would not have the reach without Meta's advertising platforms."

During a live podcast recording in San Francisco, Zuckerberg stated that Meta should push back harder against unfounded allegations about the tech industry or the company's impact, and Walberg responded with comments following Zuckerberg's statement.

Zuckerberg stated at the event on Tuesday that one of the things he regrets is accepting other people's view of some of the things they claimed we were doing wrong or responsible for, even though I don't actually think we were.

Read Meta's letter to lawmakers below:

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