Facebook advertises illegal body part of threatened animals

Body parts of threatened animals like elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger teeth were promoted in a Facebook advertisement. The advertisement was for a well-known American corporation and was displayed on Facebook group pages of wildlife traffickers who illegally sell body parts of threatened animals.

On Monday a complaint was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The complaint alleges that Facebook has failed miserably to stop illicit traders and the social media giant is responsible for publicising such a company.

Mark Zuckerberg was not available for a comment as he was busy testifying US lawmakers.This complaint was first filed by a non-profit legal advocacy group in August last year. Information of the whistleblower was kept secret keeping safety in mind.

Director of National Whistleblower Center Stephen Kohn said, "Facebook is not an innocent bystander to these crimes. Rather Facebook sold advertisements on the very pages the illegal ivory was being marketed.”

Items displayed in the advertisement were belts which were possibly made out of the fur of Bengal tigers and horns from black rhinos. Usually, traffickers use platforms like  Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp.

While the social media network is already facing privacy scandal, illegal trafficking of wildlife is spreading.

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