Sanctioned entities were still part of Facebook’s revenue redistribution program, allowing potential ad revenue sharing, according to nonprofit WHAT TO FIX, which examines internet platform accountability.
The group stated it couldn’t confirm if any funds were exchanged between Meta and the sanctioned entities but indicated its findings raise questions about Meta’s adherence to EU sanctions.
A Meta spokesperson replied: “Being on our Partner-Publisher list doesn’t prove any payouts have been received, and all parties on that list are subject to our sanctions controls. We act against accounts that seem to be managed by or for sanctioned parties.”
WHAT TO FIX reviewed Facebook’s active partner publisher lists, featuring publishers enrolled in Meta’s monetization programs. Advertisers can select where to place ads from these lists, and the platform might share revenue with these pages.
As of June 20, the lists featured around 4.65 million accounts.
Facebook removed RT and Sputnik in 2022, but Sputnik pages in EU languages reappeared in October 2022 for a year, according to researchers. A new RT Arabic page appeared in July 2023 and stayed on the list until earlier in June, but has since been removed, according to the researchers.
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