Kim Kardashian to freeze Facebook, Instagram accounts in #StopHateForProfit effort
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Kim Kardashian West announced that she will join two dozen celebrities in temporarily freezing their Instagram and Facebook accounts on Wednesday because the platforms "continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation — created by groups to sow division and split America apart."
Why it matters: The announcement from such a high-profile user is likely to be a PR disaster for Instagram and Facebook, as well as a boost to the #StopHateForProfit campaign. Kardashian West is the seventh-most followed account on Instagram with 188 million followers. She currently has 30 million followers on Facebook.
What she's saying: "I love that I can connect directly with you through Instagram and Facebook, but I can’t sit by and stay silent while these platforms continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation - created by groups to sow division and split America apart – only to take steps after people are killed," Kardashian West wrote.
- "Misinformation shared on social media has a serious impact on our elections and undermines our democracy. Please join me tomorrow when I will be 'freezing' my Instagram and FB account to tell Facebook to #StopHateForProfit."
- Facebook declined to comment.
The big picture: Sacha Baron Cohen, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lawrence, Judd Apatow, Ashton Kutcher, Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael B. Jordan are among the other celebrities who the #StopHateForProfit campaign says are joining the 24-hour freeze. More are expected to sign on.
- The group is calling for Facebook to ban pages that promote hate, forbid any event page with a call to arms, and remove election misinformation, among other reforms.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva: Kardashian West is huge on Instagram and Facebook, so she's bound to get noticed for this on the internet. But the impact on her own benefits from Facebook's apps will be trivial, since it's only a one-day moratorium.
Background: Facebook in particular has come under fire recently for their handling of pages that advocated violence at protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. BuzzFeed News also reported recently that an internal whistleblower said the company was slow to act on misinformation efforts that undermined elections around the globe.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
