The Digital Hub of Erik Anderson
Facebook Ad Includes Photo Of 9/11 Terrorist
If you have a Facebook account, you know that Facebook occasionally displays ads that are relevant to you. WJR engineer Paul Roy saw this ad on his Facebook page today. The ad mentions that he was eligible for savings on auto insurance and includes a photo of a Michigan Drivers License.
No big deal right? WRONG!
If you look closer at the ad, you’ll see the Driver’s License includes a headshot of 9/11 terrorist Mohammad Atta!
Screen capture of the Facebook ad an image of Mohammad Atta from Wikipedia. (Photos captured by Paul Roy)
Paul reported the inappropriate ad to Facebook. but later in the day the ad appeared again! Paul was able to grab this screenshot of the ad as it appeared on his page.
A screenshot of Roy's Facebook Page displaying the ad. (Screenshot courtesy of Paul Roy)
I’ve sent a copy of this blog post to Facebook for comment.
February 15, 2010 - 9:09 pm
It made you notice the ad, didn’t it? It also made you generate some publicity for the said ad. I guess they’ve achieved their goal then, didn’t they?
February 16, 2010 - 8:11 am
Lazy marketer, that’s all.
He Googled “michigan driver’s license” and thats the picture that came up.
I see the same ad, but with a PA license all the time.
Facebook regularly rejects ads, but this kind of thing requires a certain cultural knowledge.
As far as I can tell, they don’t ever do anything when you “x” an ad — I’ve been marking Mafia wars ones as “offensive” for months.