Apple Nearly Pulled Facebook, Instagram from App Store Two Years Ago "We prohibit human exploitation in no uncertain terms," a Facebook representative told the AP.
By Entrepreneur Staff Edited by Emily Rella
Apple considered yanking Facebook and Instagram from its app store two years ago, citing concerns that the platforms -- which are both owned by Facebook -- were being used in the maid trade in the Mideast.
The Associated Press got access to a trove of internal documents in which Facebook confirmed it was "under-enforcing on confirmed abusive activity" around FIlipina maids, who complained on the sites that they were abused.
The AP was one of a consortium of news organizations that obtained redacted versions of disclosures made to the Securities and Exchange Commission by whistleblower Frances Haugen's legal counsel.
As Fox Business points out, however, searching Facebook for the Arabic word for "maids" still yields "accounts featuring posed photographs of Africans and South Asians with ages and prices listed next to their images."
"We prohibit human exploitation in no uncertain terms," a Facebook representative told the AP. "We've been combating human trafficking on our platform for many years and our goal remains to prevent anyone who seeks to exploit others from having a home on our platform."
