Scientists urge financial sanctions for Meta, other tech companies that allow illegal wildlife sales

Illegal wildlife trade was estimated at $20 billion in 2021 and threatens thousands of species worldwide, scientists say. They note social media is the main marketplace for illegal sales of exotic animals and animal parts to provide consumers with pets, medicinal uses and decorations.

The illegal market is huge. A recent scientific study on the subject cited a 2016 World Bank report ranking illegal wildlife trade as "the world's fourth-largest illegitimate transnational activity, falling closely behind narcotics, human trafficking and counterfeit products." 

To combat this illegal trade, an international group of scientists and others are calling for substantial financial sanctions and public pressure to compel tech companies like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, to remove online posts selling illegal wildlife. 

A letter by this group in the prestigious weekly Science, Aug. 12, highlights a July ruling by Brazil's environmental regulatory agency to fine Meta about $2 million "for failing to remove thousands of online posts that had been flagged for selling illegal wildlife." The authors report that to their knowledge, this is the first time "any tech company has been sanctioned for hosting a wildlife crime."

As the letter notes, the fine is small compared with the company's income, but it's a first and "should set a precedent for holding tech companies accountable."

Social media companies, including Meta, have rules prohibiting illegal sales on their platforms, including the trading of endangered species, but they don't always enforce their own rules. Also, many countries allow tech companies to claim "immunity for user-generated content," even if the content is "locally illegal," the letter states.

The international news agency Reuters reported April 13 that Meta said it had "introduced technology" to find and remove illegal wildlife trading and warn users who search for it.

Legal reforms `on the horizon'

The letter outlines the legal reforms "on the horizon." It cites two European measures, the Digital Services Act agreed upon by the European Union in April and the United Kingdom's Online Safety Bill currently under debate. Both will require tech platforms to "restrict and remove organized crime activity on their systems." 

Similar legislation (House Resolution 5996) has been proposed in the U.S. Congress.

The authors of the letter urge other countries to adopt cybercrime legislation that targets illegal wildlife trading facilitated by social media. 

"Failure to comply should result in substantial fines, as modeled by Brazil," they conclude. "Only successive financial sanctions and public pressure will incline noncompliant companies to invest in effectively combating wildlife crime."

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Thais Q. Morcatty et al., "Tech companies liable for illegal wildlife trade," Science, Aug. 12, 2022. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade0843