ADL warns Meta policy shift could hurt ad revenue as report notes rise in hateful, extremist content

Meta announced a rollback of its content moderation policies last year in a major shift from what it had done in the past. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is warning that the move has not only allowed hateful and even pro-terror content to spread, but has also put a source of Meta's revenue at risk.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in January 2025 that the company would end its fact-checking program and lift restrictions on speech to "restore free expression." He argued the system had made too many mistakes and eroded user trust.

A new report by the ADL Center on Extremism, in partnership with JLens, an ADL affiliate that focuses on shareholder advocacy, revealed a possible overcorrection by Meta. Researchers working on the report found content that promoted hatred, extremism and terrorism. The report states Instagram removed just 7% of the hateful and extremist content that was flagged by researchers. The ADL has said that this demonstrates a systemic failure by the social media giant to protect users.

"This effort was really kind of two prongs. One was seeing what was the content that is out there. But the second is what is Instagram doing about this content that's on their platform?" Alex Friedfeld, director of research and analysis with the ADL Center on Extremism, told Fox News Digital. "They can't stop someone from posting this material, especially if they're willing to create new accounts and things of that nature, but they can take it down."

META VOWS APPEAL OF 'LANDMARK' SOCIAL MEDIA VERDICTS, WARNS OF FREE SPEECH EROSION

The ADL said it reported 150 accounts and 103 posts through Instagram's standard user system. The report noted that of the 253 items reported to Instagram, just 11 accounts and eight posts were removed. Additionally, the report notes that in 20 cases, Instagram said it lacked the bandwidth to review the reports.

"Instagram said that it lacked the bandwidth to review the reports. Think about that. This is not just one of the largest companies in the world in terms of user base, and it's not just one of the most profitable companies in the world, it's one of [the most] technologically sophisticated companies in the history of business," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told Fox News Digital. "So, they can reach $200 billion in revenue and 3 billion users a day, but they don't have enough people to take off content that is harming the very users themselves?"

META VOWS TO 'AGGRESSIVELY' FIGHT AFTER LANDMARK VERDICTS FIND TECH GIANT LIABLE FOR ADDICTING KIDS

In the report, the ADL warns that the rollback of content moderation policies risks "turning Instagram into a hub for hate and antisemitism" that could have real-world consequences.

"We know that social media is a super-spreader of antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and all forms of hate. And in particular, we've been increasingly concerned about the Meta products, especially Instagram," Greenblatt said. "Meta has an average of 3 billion daily users — that is incredible. But what's deeply problematic is while they've built this global behemoth, we've seen the company roll back their moderation policies in a very significant way over the last year and a half."

The ADL's researchers found that, despite being banned from Instagram himself, far-right commentator Nick Fuentes had his content circulating on the platform, pushed by his followers, often known as "Groypers." Fuentes himself acknowledged this, saying in a May 2025 X post that "Instagram relaxed its censorship and allowed users to post clips from my show." At the time, Fuentes said the clipping accounts had been banned, but the ADL found 105 Instagram accounts affiliated with the "Groyper movement," which it said had a combined 1.4 million followers as of January 2026.

In addition to the hateful and extremist content, the researchers found accounts that openly supported designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). These accounts violate Meta's Community Standards, which prohibits "organizations or individuals that proclaim a violent mission or are engaged in violence to have a presence on our platforms."

EXPERT WARNS OF MASSIVE RECKONING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES: ‘GIANT CASE OF KARMA’

The ADL said in its report that researchers found at least 23 accounts that spread Islamic State and al Qaeda propaganda. The report notes that the accounts will often post images or videos that contain content that violates Meta's policies, but will pair them with unrelated captions, such as a movie synopsis or gardening tips.

"In the most extreme case of this, we found was an actual ISIS execution video that was up on the platform," Friedfeld said, noting that it was paired with a caption that described a clock tower in Mecca.

Researchers also identified 33 accounts with "direct or indirect" connections to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated FTO that took part in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, including the taking of hostages.

Meta, however, has published its own data suggesting enforcement on its platforms remains effective. In a December 2025 report, the company said that less than 1% of content on Facebook and Instagram was removed for violating its policies, and less than 0.1% was removed in error. The report added that enforcement precision — the percentage of correct removals — exceeded 87% on Instagram.

"Our commitment and dedication to tackling antisemitism is unchanged because this type of violent and hateful material has no place on our platforms. Over two-thirds of the accounts and posts flagged by the ADL were removed prior to the publication of this report, while some did not violate our policies," a Meta spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The ADL's report comes ahead of a Meta shareholder meeting that is set for late May. Greenblatt said that shareholders should keep the ADL's report in mind, suggesting that Meta's enforcement of content policies could drive away advertising.

"The meta business model is advertising. Instagram alone is a global advertising machine," Greenblatt said. "When you flight your ads as a food company, as a real estate agent, as a small business up on Instagram, you expect your ads to be showing up against content that is somewhat consonant with your values, not for your ads be showing next to neo-Nazi content. Not your ads showing up next to posts that promote terror organizations, that glamorize murder, that elevate extremism."