Facebook recently announced that it will ban users from buying and selling animals on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. This policy change has raised many questions around why Facebook made this decision and what it means for animal sales online.
Opening Questions
Here are some quick answers to common questions about Facebook’s new policy:
Why did Facebook ban animal sales?
Facebook cited concerns around animal welfare and preventing animal exploitation as the main reasons for instituting this ban. The company wants to stop animal sales that may be part of unlawful wildlife trafficking or contribute to abuse or neglect.
When does the ban take effect?
The new policy goes into effect on November 1, 2022. After that date, users will not be allowed to buy, sell, trade, gift, request, offer, or donate live animals on Facebook or Instagram, with a few exceptions.
What animals are included in the ban?
The ban includes most live animals, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, crustaceans, and insects. There are limited exceptions for brick-and-mortar stores and rescue organizations.
Can users still view animal content?
Yes, users can still view live animal content, such as videos and photos, as long as the content does not depict animal abuse or organized animal fighting. The policy is focused specifically on transactions involving live animals.
Background on Animal Sales Online
The internet has opened up a massive unregulated marketplace for buying and selling live animals. Here is some background on animal sales online and how Facebook’s policy fits into the larger landscape:
– Animal sales and trading online is a multibillion dollar industry spanning a wide variety of species.
– Popular sites like Craigslist and eBay have long allowed animal sales on their platforms.
– Social media provides a convenient platform for connecting potential animal buyers and sellers globally.
– Animal welfare advocates have raised concerns that online sales contribute to impulse buying of animals and enable unscrupulous breeders or illegal wildlife traffickers.
– Regulation of online animal sales has been minimal, though sites like eBay have instituted certain restrictions in recent years.
– Facebook’s ban is one of the biggest moves yet by an internet platform to crack down on unregulated animal transactions.
Examples of Questionable Animal Sales
Here are some examples of concerning animal sales and trades that commonly occur online:
- Illegal wildlife trafficking of endangered or exotic species
- Puppy mill breeders selling dogs and cats
- Reptiles captured from the wild rather than captive-bred being sold
- “Flipper babies” – baby monkeys torn from their mothers to be sold as pets
- People offloading sick, elderly, or unruly pets they no longer want
Facebook’s Explanation
When announcing the new policy, Facebook provided the following explanation for instituting a ban on animal sales:
– Preventing animal exploitation: Facebook wants to stop situations where animals may be exploited, abused or neglected because of online sales.
– Blocking illegal activity: Banning animal sales will help interrupt unlawful trafficking of endangered species, exotic pets, and other illicit activities.
– Promoting animal welfare: The policy aims to discourage the impulse buying of animals that can lead to poor treatment and knowledge of how to properly care for them.
– Listening to experts: According to Facebook, the company consulted with animal experts and specialists when developing this ban.
– Comparable with existing policies: Banning animal sales aligns with Facebook’s existing policies that prohibit attempts to trade, gift, request or donate other covered regulated goods like firearms, drugs, and medical equipment.
Facebook’s History with Animal Sales
Facebook has faced pressure from animal welfare groups for years to ban animal sales from its platforms. Here is a brief history:
- 2017 – Facebook issues ban on sales of endangered animals.
- 2018 – Petitions call for Facebook to extend ban to all animal sales.
- 2020 – Lawsuit filed against Facebook for facilitating illegal wildlife trafficking.
- 2021 – Facebook begins requiring accounts selling animals to comply with local laws.
- 2022 – New policy announced fully banning animal sales except limited circumstances.
Details of the New Policy
Here are some key details about exactly what Facebook’s updated policy on animal sales prohibits:
- Applies to most live mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, crustaceans, insects, and other terrestrial and aquatic life.
- Covers sales, trades, gifts, requests, offers, and donations.
- Bans attempts to find, home, adopt, foster, purchase, sell, or trade animals.
- Still allows posts about adoption that link to off-platform websites of brick-and-mortar stores, rescue centers, shelters, or other facilities.
- Exceptions for brick-and-mortar pet stores, zoos, aquariums, wildlife parks, veterinarians, and other authorized entities.
- Exempts assistance dogs and service animals when posts comply with legal requirements.
- Does not apply to human remains, taxidermy, or insects/arthropods sold for food.
What Types of Posts Does the Ban Cover?
Here are examples of posts that will be prohibited under the new rules:
- Listing specific animals for sale or trade, like “Poodle puppies for sale $500.”
- Offering to take in unwanted pets from others.
- Requests to buy, adopt, or breed certain animal species or breeds.
- “ISO” (in search of) posts looking for particular animals.
- Posts trying to find or solicit homes for stray animals.
What Types of Posts Are Still Allowed?
Here are examples of posts that will still be permitted even with the ban in place:
- General animal welfare and adoption advocacy content.
- Sharing photos/videos of pets and animals (as long as no sales transaction).
- Lost/found pet notices.
- Brick-and-mortar pet stores promoting their business.
- Animal shelters/rescues promoting adoption days.
- Vets or other authorized entities advertising services.
How Will Facebook Enforce the Ban?
Facebook has provided the following information about how it plans to enforce this new policy prohibiting animal sales:
- Utilizing proactive detection technology to find violating posts and accounts.
- Reviewing user reports of policy-violating content.
- Removing posts, disabling accounts, and contacting law enforcement if warranted.
- Partnering with wildlife experts to identify traffickers.
- Using machine learning to detect posts promoting animal abuse.
Facebook has over 15,000 content moderators who will be trained on properly identifying and handling content that violates this new policy.
User Reporting of Violations
Facebook is encouraging users to report any posts they see that involve prohibited attempts to trade, sell, gift, or donate live animals. Users can report posts by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner of the post.
Reported posts will be reviewed by Facebook’s content moderation teams to determine if they should be removed under the updated rules against animal sales.
Account Penalties
According to Facebook, accounts that repeatedly violate the animal sales ban may be subject to the following penalties:
- Post removal
- Disabling of account features like comments or advertising
- Temporary account suspension
- Permanent disabling of account
Facebook says penalties will be applied progressively based on the severity and frequency of violations.
Impact on Animal Sales
It remains to be seen what effect Facebook’s ban will have on the broader landscape of animal sales online. Here is some analysis of the potential impact:
– Could reduce impulsive pet purchases and “virtual window shopping” for animals in news feeds.
– May deal a blow to puppy mills, exotic pet trade, and illegal wildlife traffickers who rely on social platforms.
– Not a blanket solution since many other websites still allow animal sales.
– Scammers or abusers may find ways to circumvent rules and operate covertly.
– Does not address source issues driving exploitation like lax breeding laws and exotics trade.
– Loss of platform may complicate rehoming for legitimate shelters and rescues.
Impact on Facebook
In terms of Facebook’s own interests, the animal sales ban may have the following effects:
- Improves brand reputation as more socially/environmentally responsible.
- Wins favor with policymakers considering social media regulation.
- Aligned with Meta’s (Facebook’s parent company) focus on the metaverse and virtual worlds that could include virtual pets.
- Reduces regulatory and liability risks around illicit transactions.
- Loss of some revenue from fewer ad-supported animal sales posts.
User Sentiment
General user reaction to Facebook’s ban on animal sales seems to be mixed, based on comments and posts:
- Some applaud the decision as an ethical stand against animal exploitation.
- Others argue it could make rehoming rescues harder.
- Some critics see it driven more by PR than meaningful impact.
- Questions around enforcement and workability of ban.
- Suggestions for Facebook to partner with humane organizations.
Examples of Other Companies
Facebook is not the first platform to ban or restrict animal sales. Here are some other significant examples:
eBay
| Year | Policy Change |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Bans pet sales except from authorized breeders. |
| 2019 | Further restricts sales to only rehoming fees for rescues. |
eBay was a hotbed for animal sales for many years. It instituted progressive bans due to public pressure around animal welfare.
Craigslist
| Year | Policy Change |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Bans sale of dogs, cats, and birds in U.S. |
| 2019 | Expands ban to include rabbits, pigs, turtles, and more. |
Craigslist faced controversy over facilitating puppy mills and impulse pet purchases before instituting restrictions.
Etsy
| Year | Policy Change |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Prohibits listing live animals for sale or trade. |
Etsy has banned live animal sales from the beginning unlike other platforms that initially allowed it.
Criticisms and Concerns
While many animal welfare advocates praise Facebook’s new policy, some parties have also voiced concerns including:
Overreach
Some critics argue Facebook is overreaching by instituting a blanket ban that also blocks legitimate organizations and individuals trying to responsibly rehome animals.
Enforcement Issues
Questions remain around how effectively Facebook can enforce this policy and prevent circumvention by determined abusers.
Demand Still Exists
Banning sales does not eliminate public demand for purchasing pets online, which may shift to other platforms.
Legality
Facebook will have to deal with differing laws around animal sales that vary by state and country when enforcing globally.
Limited Impact
If other major websites continue allowing animal sales, the overall impact on the market may be modest.
Looking Ahead
Going forward, a few things to watch with Facebook’s new animal sales policy include:
- How strictly Facebook enforces the ban.
- If users find creative ways to circumvent the rules.
- Whether it reduces illegal trafficking or cruelty cases.
- If pressure increases on other platforms to follow suit.
- How the public and special interest groups react.
The ban on animal sales marks one of Facebook’s strongest stances yet on an issue around platform ethics and societal impact. While not perfect, supporters hope it will lead to increased responsibility and oversight for the loosely regulated online animal market.
Conclusion
Facebook’s new policy prohibiting attempts to buy, sell, trade, or gift live animals on its platforms comes after years of pressure from animal welfare advocates. The company aims to crack down on potentially unethical and illicit activities that it believes have no place in its online communities. However, critics argue the overreaching ban could also harm legitimate organizations and fail to address the root of the problem. It remains to be seen how effective the prohibition will be and whether it spurs an industry-wide rethinking of policies around animal sales online. But Facebook seems intent on setting an example of corporate social responsibility with this issue regardless of lost revenue or user backlash.