A recent report by the Colorado Department of Law suggests that the rise of social media in the past several years is connected to the spread of dangerous drugs across society, particularly fentanyl.
According to the report, which was issued in March by the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the exact nature of the online black market for illicit substances is hard to gauge. Part of that, the report said, is due to “the companies' apparent incapability or reluctance to curb drug-related activities on their platforms.” Drug dealers also use “redirection methods” to reach their potential customers while also avoiding mostly automated moderation efforts by platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
“Drug dealers also count on specific internet platform designs and functionalities to streamline drug transactions,” the report said. “The same built-in features that platforms employ to support lawful commercial activity and social interactions between users -- including encrypted messaging, temporary content, and anonymous communications -- are also leveraged by drug dealers to advertise and peddle illegal substances.”
All social media platforms prohibit the sale or advertisement of illegal substances, and according to a Meta spokesperson, content that attempts to buy, sell or trade drugs is not allowed on Facebook or Instagram, regardless of state or country law, although the platforms do encourage those affected by substance abuse to discuss their battles overcoming them online.
Still, limited access to specific data on Facebook and Instagram, for example, means the magnitude of the online black market for illicit substances is hard to determine, especially because of the “ease and secrecy” that is possible, through private messaging, making social media the “preferred choice” among drug sellers and buyers.
Drug dealers also count on specific platform designs and functionalities, such as encrypted messaging, temporary content, and anonymous communication.
The amount of content that violates its Restricted Goods and Services Policy represents about 0.05% of content viewed on Facebook and Instagram, according to Meta. Facebook and Instagram use technology, reports from its community and reviews by its teams to enforce those policies and prevent drug-related posts, the Meta spokesperson said.
Meta added that the company “believes in the importance of cross-industry collaboration across social media platforms to tackle these issues.” So it recently began a pilot with Snapchat to “identify patterns and signs of illicit drug-related content and activity. This work strengthens our ability to find and remove illicit drugs if they come onto our platforms,” Meta said.
The Colorado report acknowledged that most social media companies have implemented policies prohibiting the exploitation of their platforms to to facilitate drug sales, and most do cooperate with law enforcement, “companies' reactions to drug activity on their platforms have been inconsistent in their implementation and inadequate in their efficacy,” the report read.
According to a Meta spokesperson, the company “actioned on 5.4 million pieces of violating drug content on Facebook in Q4 2022. Of the violating content, we actioned for regulated goods/drugs in Q4 2022, 99.1% of it was flagged and reported by Facebook, 0.9% was reported by users. In addition, we routinely respond to valid law enforcement requests for information."
The spokesperson added that when people search for drugs on Facebook and Instagram, they are redirected to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline.
