Meta and Google Fuel Abortion Misinformation in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Report Says

The fight for reproductive rights is happening on social media – and the big tech giants may not be helping the cause.

A new report of Digital Hate Center (CCDH) and global charity MSI reproduction choice (MSI) claims that Meta and, in a few cases, Google, restrict information about abortion, while promoting misinformation and abuse in countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

CCDH reports that some abortion providers are barred from advertising on the Meta and Google platforms globally, while Meta also profits from anti-abortion ads placed from the United States aimed at to deter people seeking abortions abroad.

How are abortion ads restricted?

The report claims that MSI’s ads were rejected or removed by Meta in Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria and Vietnam, for unspecified reasons such as “sensitive content”, and that Meta imposed general restrictions on advertising to local MSI teams. based in Nepal and Vietnam, without in-depth justification.

Meanwhile, ads for “pregnancy options” in Ghana have reportedly been blocked by Google. Specifically, MSI’s local team in Ghana said that when planning a campaign using Google Adwords itself, they were prohibited from using the term “pregnancy options.”

Furthermore, the report highlights that both Google and Facebook offer fake pages and websites imitating MSI content, aiming to scam users in Kenya, Nigeria and Vietnam; some of these pages are described as asking potential customers to make mobile money transfers.

Speaking to Mashable, Google representative Michael Aciman said: “This report does not include a single example of policy-violating content on Google’s platform, nor any examples of inconsistent enforcement. Without evidence, he claims that some advertisements have been blocked in Ghana for referring to “pregnancy”. “. To be clear, it is not illegal to run these types of ads in Ghana – if the ads were restricted, it was likely due to our long-standing policies prohibiting the targeting of people based on sensitive health categories, which include pregnancy.”

Aciman also noted that Google does not ban ads using the term “pregnancy options”; however, under Google’s program Personalized Advertising Policies, advertisers cannot target select audiences when serving ads for products or services related to “sensitive interest categories.” Therefore, if MSI or other advertisers attempted to run a targeted campaign for their own audience list in one of these categories, that campaign would not serve.

Ryan Daniels, a spokesperson for Meta, said in a statement to Mashable: “We allow posts and advertisements promoting health services, as well as discussion and debate around them. Reproductive health content must follow our rules, including those on prescription drugs and misinformation and ads promoting reproductive health products or services can only target people 18 and older. Meta reiterates this policy in its Transparency Center.

Daniels added that Meta will review the information contained in the CCDH report: “We prohibit advertisements that contain false information or mislead people about the services provided by a company, and we will review the contents of this report.”

Vital information versus misinformation

The report also alleges that misinformation is allowed to circulate on Meta’s platforms: in particular, the CCDH found that misinformation was high in Mexico, with anti-abortion ads on Meta claiming that abortion drugs pose “high risks”. ” for women. Many of these ads have reportedly been viewed millions of times, and restrictions on ads promoting sexual and reproductive health services in Mexico have also been found to be limited.

Similarly, in Ghana, anti-abortion groups such as Americans United for Life (AUL) and Tree of Life Ministries, led by US-born evangelical Christians based in Israel, reportedly placed advertisements containing misleading claims about abortion. Such advertisements have been viewed up to 3.83 million times worldwide, according to the CCDH.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp messages from anti-abortion platforms were circulating in Ghana, using abusive language and claiming that MSI was part of a “satanic” agenda. According to MSI country teams, including that of Ghana, such messages have left customers too afraid to visit local clinics. Also in Kenya, MSI teams reported being the target of offensive comments on Facebook and X.

Whitney Chinogwenya, marketing specialist at MSI Reproductive Choices, said in a statement: “Misinformation can only be corrected with facts and evidence, but from Ghana to Nepal, Meta is removing our Facebook pages and ads without explanation , while closing his eyes. to abusive messages directed at our team members simply for doing their job.

“Meanwhile, Google is doing next to nothing about harmful websites advertising fake clinics that put women and girls at risk. We’re always battling the next problem, with nowhere else to turn than a chatbot,” Chinogwenya continued.

Meta’s responses to MSI teams’ concerns about advertising and restrictions were noted by CCDH and MSI as inconsistent and vague. In Nepal and Vietnam, for example, MSI says its official accounts on Meta platforms have been banned from advertising, with the team having to open new accounts – and start from scratch – to proliferate information.

“Social media companies exploit users’ personal data in the Global South, but pay little attention to protecting local human rights and civil liberties. »

MSI is one of several abortion rights groups facing these difficulties, the report said, with organizations like Amnesty International and several activists also mentioned as being blocked from providing abortion-related content.

“Meta, Google and others own the platforms where billions of people get information and share advice, but they refuse to accept the corresponding duty of care to protect people’s ability to access vital medical advice and to take swift action against bad actors who are putting people’s health at risk,” CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed said in a statement. “Social media companies exploit users’ personal data in the Global South, but pay little attention to protecting local human rights and civil liberties. »

In many of these countries, the right to abortion is restrictive. In Ghana, women can resort to abortion in certain cases, notably in cases of rape, incest or if there is a risk of fetal abnormality. Kenya made promises recognize abortion as a fundamental rightbut legal ambiguity around abortion has led to disinformation and illegal procedures in clandestine clinics. In Nepal, abortion has been legalized since 2002, but unsafe procedures remain a concern. Mexico decriminalized abortion in 2023, barely six months ago, while in Vietnam, abortion during the first 22 weeks of pregnancy is legal.

Regardless of the legalities surrounding abortion, information is crucial for communities in the so-called Global South. As feminist and health lecturer at LSE Dr Rishita Nandagiri says, written in 2022“While it is important to fight laws that restrict access to abortion, feminist networks and helplines that provide timely information, for example on how to access medication to medical abortion and administering them, are equally important.”