The Canadian banking giants are among the latest companies to climb aboard a campaign that has vowed to fight the US tech conglomerate for “putting profit over safety.”

Adding to the growing list of hundreds of companies spanning the globe, the Canadian banks have stopped advertising with Facebook to protest the social media giant’s approach to hate speech on its platforms.

Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Group, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Montreal, and Bank of Nova Scotia have pledged to be an active part of the campaign for the month of July.

The offensive if gaining steam

The boycott is picking up momentum in Canada, as in other countries.

Vancouver athleticwear companies Lululemon Athletica Inc., Mountain Equipment Co-op and Arc’teryx are pulling their paid ads from Facebook and joining a boycott that has already been supported by Coca-Cola, Unilever, Honda America, Patagonia and more.

Champions of the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign — led by civil rights and advocacy groups including the Anti-Defamation League and the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People — say Facebook has not done enough to keep racist, false, and dangerous content, or white supremacists off its platform.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The campaign sponsors also say they’re particularly disappointed that the company has allowed users to call for violence against protesters fighting for racial justice in the wake of the deaths of several Black Americans.

The goal is to “raise awareness of hate-mongering” in cyberspace

Their campaigners say their aim is to “raise awareness of the harmful, racist content and misinformation that is shared on these social platforms.”

A number of major apparel brands have promised to pull advertising money from Facebook Inc. as part of the coordinated campaign to pressure the social-media giant to crack down on hate speech and misinformation in the runup to the 2020 US presidential election.

This week, Verizon joined Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, The North Face, Eddie Bauer, REI, Magnolia Pictures and Viber—all confirmed ads would be temporarily paused.

Big brands boycott Facebook over hate speech