"A B.C. resident claims that advertisements for ketamine have been inundating his Instagram feed after he mentioned his sobriety in a conversation."
In a bid to destigmatize conversations around drugs on social media, Instagram's CEO, Adam Mosseri, has been working towards stricter enforcement of content policies. This is in response to a recent incident where Teega G. Eisner, a recovering ketamine abuser and cartoonist, found advertisements for the drug on his Instagram feed while waiting at Munich airport.
Eisner, who goes by the artist name SneakyStripes and creates art about substance use, recovery, and party safety, was particularly concerned about the appearance of these advertisements. The advertisements led him to a website promising a "safe and reliable source to buy ketamine online in Canada."
Instagram confirmed that it had removed all of the illicit drug advertisement pages flagged by Eisner. The platform enforces strict content policies, removing ads that violate their guidelines, and using automated systems and human review to detect prohibited content. Posts advertising precursor chemicals are also against Meta's policies.
However, concerns about targeted advertising based on user conversations persist. While Instagram's specific practices were not detailed in the search results, there are widespread concerns about social media platforms using user data for ad targeting. This raises privacy issues and ethical concerns about covert surveillance and profiling. Regulatory bodies like the FTC oversee advertising practices to ensure transparency and fairness, but have yet to mandate explicit disclosures about using private conversations for ad targeting on platforms like Instagram.
The RCMP is also taking steps to combat the illegal drug trade. They are using "advanced cybertools" to target suppliers and their networks, considering mail-order websites to be a growing part of the illicit drug trade. According to the RCMP, these efforts are essential to protecting public safety and reducing the harm caused by organized crime and the illegal drug trade.
Eisner continues to see unwanted ketamine ads from new accounts in his feed. He believes that there needs to be more of such conversations on social media to help people feel more comfortable seeking help. Eisner works with Good Night Out Vancouver, an educational non-profit, on its "nightlife street team."
Meta is consistently updating and refining its filters with new terms and hashtags to block these kinds of pages. By the time Eisner returned home, the drug advertisements had also appeared on his Facebook account. The spokesperson did not answer questions about how the posts appeared on Eisner's feed.
In conclusion, Instagram is taking steps to prevent illicit drug advertisements, but concerns about targeted advertising based on user conversations remain. As social media platforms continue to evolve, it is crucial for users to be aware of their privacy and for regulatory bodies to ensure transparency in advertising practices.
- Instagram's CEO, Adam Mosseri, is working towards stricter enforcement of content policies to destigmatize conversations around drugs on social media, especially after a recovering ketamine abuser found advertisements for the drug on his Instagram feed.
- Concerns about targeted advertising based on user conversations persist, with questions about social media platforms using user data for ad targeting raising privacy and ethical concerns.
- Regulatory bodies like the FTC oversee advertising practices for transparency and fairness, but have not yet mandated explicit disclosures about using private conversations for ad targeting on platforms like Instagram.
- The RCMP is using advanced cybertools to target suppliers and their networks, considering mail-order websites to be a growing part of the illicit drug trade in a bid to protect public safety and reduce the harm caused by organized crime and the illegal drug trade.
- Eisner, a cartoonist who creates art about substance use, recovery, and party safety, continues to encounter unwanted ketamine ads on his social media feed, advocating for more conversations about these topics on platforms like Instagram to help people feel more comfortable seeking help.
