Swedish companies boycott Facebook: "Extremely important"

The advertising boycott against Facebook started in the US with well-known brands such as Unilever and Verizon and has now spread to Sweden, which TT was the first to report on.

The background is the recent criticism that Facebook has received that the platform does not clearly act against hateful and racist content.

- For us, it is important to be seen in a context that we think is good for us. And when it came to the boycott to get Facebook to the bottom of these problems, wanted to be part of it, says Stephan Ray, press secretary at SJ.

The decision was not easy as many of the company's customers are on social media. But the question is so important, according to Stephan Ray. He also believes that it puts some pressure on large companies to act jointly.

What do you have to say to those who see this as simple PR for SJ?

- We are working on these issues on several fronts, now it is about Facebook. Then I think people still recognize SJ's values. That we take a stand against racism is nothing new and we will continue to do so.

How long the ad break will be is not determined and Stephan Ray has a hard time seeing how Facebook could remove all hateful content.

- But I expect the company will show that it takes these issues seriously.

Similarly, managers at Oatly, who just like SJ chose to pause their advertising on the platform, reason. IKEA is also considering taking a similar position, while clothing company H&M has chosen not to participate in the boycott.

Facebook's response to the boycott has been to allow civil rights groups in the United States to participate in the work against racism and hate on the platform.

The company also claims that with the help of artificial intelligence, it already manages to remove 90 percent of the hateful content before it is reported.