Starbucks considering leaving Facebook over hateful comments: report
Coffee chain is reported to be considering leaving the platform over comments left on posts about social justice issues
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American coffee behemoth Starbucks is reported to be considering leaving Facebook due to the tone of comments left on its posts about social issues and racial justice.
Facebook employees reportedly wrote that "Starbucks is in the process of evaluating their organic presence on FB, and whether they should continue to have a presence on the platform at all."
The comments went on to say that Starbucks experienced overwhelmingly "negative/insensitive, hate speech-related comments" on such posts, according to a report from BuzzFeed.
Should Starbucks remove its page from the social media platform, it would be one of the largest companies to do so, but not the first.
Elon Musk removed the SpaceX and Tesla Facebook pages in 2018 after he was challenged to do so on Twitter as part of the #DeleteFacebook campaign. While the companies remained on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, the pages were never reactivated on the platform.
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Discussion over Starbucks’ decision to remove its page from Facebook comes just months after more than 500 brands, including Starbucks, temporarily pulled their advertising from the social media platform as part of a Stop Hate for Profit boycott campaign.
Starbucks spokesperson Sanja Gould would not confirm to BuzzFeed whether the company was planning to delete its Facebook page, saying, "While some changes have been implemented, we believe more can be done to create welcoming and inclusive online communities."
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Facebook spokesperson Dani Lever also told BuzzFeed that Facebook "[works] with our clients around the world on various issues and as this post shows we are working with them to keep hate off of their pages."
Last year, Starbucks faced backlash for not allowing employees to wear clothing that showed support for Black Lives Matter at work but has been known for posting about social issues on their social media platforms, including on topics like BLM, LGBTQ issues, and climate change.