Viber asks Facebook for a «divorce»

Viber, the popular instant messaging platform, is ending all business ties with Facebook because of the latter's inability to tackle violent rhetoric from its users, which has now become widespread.

Specifically, Rakuten Viber is actively supporting the #StopHateForProfit movement, which is taking a stand against Facebook. It has therefore announced the permanent removal of Facebook Connect, Facebook SDK and GIPHY from its platform. At the same time, it has stopped advertising on Facebook.

Rakuten Viber is not the only company boycotting the social media veteran. A number of organisations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP, following the recent human rights protests in the USA, called on companies to stop spending their advertising budgets on Facebook throughout July. This move is a response to the platform's reluctance to prevent violent rhetoric.

This is, of course, not the first time Facebook has faced a wave of public discontent. It is worth remembering that it was previously accused of misusing and leaking personal data, culminating in the notorious Cambridge Analytica scandal. In that case, the political consultancy had deceptively obtained the personal data of 87 million users.

 «Facebook continues to show that it does not understand its role in today's world. From the company's mishandling of data and the lack of privacy protection in its apps to its outrageous refusal to take the necessary steps to protect the public from violent and dangerous rhetoric, Facebook has gone too far», said Djamel Agaoua, CEO of Viber.