Facebook and Instagram Ads Push Gun Silencers Disguised as Car Parts
www.wired.com
A network of Facebook pages has been advertising “fuel filters” that are actually meant to be used as silencers, which are heavily regulated by US law. Even US military officials are concerned.

Summary

Thousands of Facebook and Instagram ads have illegally marketed gun silencers disguised as “fuel filters,” violating U.S. federal law and Meta’s ad policies.

These devices, linked to a Chinese drop-shipping network, are sold for as little as $50 and promoted using recycled videos and stolen content.

Despite some ad removals, new campaigns quickly reappear, targeting niche audiences, including military personnel.

The ads have sparked legal, cybersecurity, and national security concerns, with critics citing Meta’s insufficient transparency and moderation tools.

  • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
    731·
    5 days ago

    If tech platforms are too large to properly police their endorsed content, then the only reasonable solution is to shut them down.

    Please don’t forget that advertising on these platforms could be moderated if they so chose - it simply isn’t moderated for profitability reasons.

    Don’t allow fucks like Meta to push a narrative that they’re simply unable to moderate content while making buckets full of money running a service business that doesn’t even need to exist.

    • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
      10·
      5 days ago

      100% this.

      There’s no cosmic law that says you must build a sprawling social network. If you can’t build it safely, then don’t build it.

      If someone build a very profitable machine in the town square that shot out rusty nails and killed people every so often, people would shut it down. Well, hopefully.

      • YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH@infosec.pub
        2·
        4 days ago

        Wait, if they can’t get huge how are we going to get our most brilliant people like Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Theil the sorts of money they need to pull the levers of power?

    • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      39·
      5 days ago

      I think the advertising is moderated and that’s one reason why these things are being called fuel filters. It isn’t reasonable to expect Facebook moderators to distinguish a filter from a silencer that looks like a filter. I doubt I could do it myself, especially if it wasn’t specifically what I was looking for.

      • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        5 days ago

        It isn’t reasonable to expect Facebook moderators to distinguish a filter from a silencer that looks like a filter.

        Fuck that; of course we can! If the current mods are incompetent then Meta can fucking PAY MORE to hire competent ones. There is NO excuse.

      • skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de
        9·
        5 days ago

        it’s to get around the shitty automated moderation that facebook has, which seems to be all that is there, this fools no one with a pulse