Want to Save Elephants? Click Here.
By Gretchen Peters
People often ask me what they can do to help save elephants from poachers.
Admittedly, it seems like an unsolvable, far-away problem: Multi-ton pachyderms, thousands of miles away in the wild African bush, getting hunted to extinction. Poachers kill about 100 African elephants every day for their ivory tusks, meat and body parts. Their population has declined more than 60% in the last ten years, and they could be mostly extinct in another decade if the current rate of killing continues.
On World Elephant Day 2019, I’d like Americans to know that there are concrete things we can do — right here in this country — to help this incredible species survive. The elephants are in trouble, and they urgently need our help. It’s time for action.
It might surprise you to learn that the biggest retail markets for elephant ivory can be found online –not on the Dark Web — but on ordinary social media platforms like Facebook and China’s WeChat.
Researchers from my organization have reviewed and recorded tens of thousands of posts for elephant ivory being sold on these platforms. And we have come to the horrifying conclusion that Facebook and WeChat are literally facilitating the elephant’s extinction.
We also know, from Facebook insiders and ex-employees, that the Menlo Park firm could change its algorithms and user policy to make this stop, immediately. But it won’t happen unless there is sustained public outrage, and government intervention that threatens Facebook’s bottom line.
American citizens may not be able to do much about poachers in the African bush, but we can impact the behavior of firms like Facebook and WeChat, which are here on U.S. soil.
It’s important to realize that Facebook is not just passively allowing this illegal activity to happen. It’s actively profiting off it, which is illegal for a public firm listed on a U.S. stock exchange. Advertising revenue from the billions of users who log onto Facebook makes up 89% of the firm’s revenue. In other words, when there are tens of thousands of people logging on to buy illegal ivory, Facebook makes money. And by profiting from this criminal activity, Facebook is breaking the law.
Congress also needs to reform outdated laws that give tech firms immunity for illegal content posted on their platforms. On social media, this illegal content isn’t restricted to ivory sales. There are also terror groups fundraising, drug dealers selling fentanyl and human traffickers selling children for sex.
On World Elephant Day, you can make a difference by writing to your member of Congress and Senators and asking them to change outdated laws and enforce existing regulations. Click here to join ACCO in making a difference and saving elephants lives.
It’s time to make social media a safer place for people and animals alike.
Gretchen Peters is Executive Director of the Alliance to Counter Crime Online
