Rep. Cammack Blasts Meta, Zuckerberg Over Internal Memo & Unchanged Human Smuggling Policy

Press release from the Office of Congresswoman Kat Cammack

Today, Congresswoman Cammack sent a letter to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg over Meta’s recent decision to allow “content soliciting smuggling services and sharing information related to illegal border crossing[s].” In a recently obtained internal Meta memo, the company confirmed it has an explicit policy that allows content soliciting smuggling services, despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In May 2021, Congresswoman Cammack sent an initial letter to the company bringing attention to the thousands of advertisements and paid content on Facebook, later assured by company executives that actions were actively being taken to track and remove this illegal content. In the time since, however, Meta has done nothing to moderate content with illegal activities, instead reaffirming its human smuggling policy and allowing trafficking-related content to be posted.

In the letter, Cammack writes: “As you well know, the ongoing situation at the southwest border is a humanitarian crisis. Cartels exploit individuals seeking to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. Due to the record volume of illegal crossings, Border Patrol agents are required to take care of children and process migrants, while their primary role of securing the border is secondary. As a result, more humans, drugs, and weapons are trafficked through our southwest border and Americans are left to pay the price.”

“I’m disappointed to see that Meta has done nothing to moderate this illegal content on its platforms,” said Rep. Cammack. “I met with multiple representatives from the company last year who took great care to tell me about the steps they were taking, only to find out that their policy has not changed.”

Cammack urges Meta to promptly change the company’s policy to explicitly prohibit content that encourages illegal border crossings and trafficking.

The full text of the letter can be found here and in this story reported by the Washington Free Beacon.