Summary

Thousands of Facebook and Instagram ads have illegally marketed gun silencers disguised as “fuel filters,” violating U.S. federal law and Meta’s ad policies.

These devices, linked to a Chinese drop-shipping network, are sold for as little as $50 and promoted using recycled videos and stolen content.

Despite some ad removals, new campaigns quickly reappear, targeting niche audiences, including military personnel.

The ads have sparked legal, cybersecurity, and national security concerns, with critics citing Meta’s insufficient transparency and moderation tools.

  • ArbitraryValue
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    2 days ago

    I think the advertising is moderated and that’s one reason why these things are being called fuel filters. It isn’t reasonable to expect Facebook moderators to distinguish a filter from a silencer that looks like a filter. I doubt I could do it myself, especially if it wasn’t specifically what I was looking for.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      It isn’t reasonable to expect Facebook moderators to distinguish a filter from a silencer that looks like a filter.

      Fuck that; of course we can! If the current mods are incompetent then Meta can fucking PAY MORE to hire competent ones. There is NO excuse.

    • skillissuer@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 days ago

      it’s to get around the shitty automated moderation that facebook has, which seems to be all that is there, this fools no one with a pulse