Facebook’s ‘not our friend’ apology ads vandalised in London

Facebook’s
founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
REUTERS/Charles Platiau

• Protestors are vandalising Facebook’s ubiquitous
  apology adverts in London.
• Posters have been changed to imply that Facebook makes
  money from fake news and data misuse.
• The ads are part of a global promotional campaign aimed
  a distancing Facebook from a tsunami of scandals.

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LONDON — You’ve seen the ads everywhere. If they’ve not
infiltrated your TV, they’ve shadowed your wait at a bus stop,
punctuated the pages of your newspaper, or loomed over you from a
billboard. Facebook is trying to tell you something.

The company is spending a fortune on the global promotional
campaign, aimed squarely at distancing itself from a tsunami of
scandals involving fake news, data breaches, and election
meddling.

The TV apology ad was recently
ridiculed by “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver, and now,
Facebook’s posters are being targeted by protestors in London,
who are seeking to change the company’s messaging.

Protest Pencil, an anonymous street artist, has been posting
pictures of the altered posters on their Twitter, Instagram, and
Facebook accounts, generating interest in the British
press.

On one bus stop post poster, the words “it’s a great
source of revenue” were added to Facebook’s slogan: “Fake news is
not our friend.”

On another, “it’s our business model” was added to the
statement: “Data misuse is not our friend.”

Business Insider has contacted Protest Pencil for comment. We
have also asked Facebook if it would like to remark on the
vandalised posters.