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META IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST ILLEGAL WILDLIFE MARKETPLACE, WITH ITS ALGORITHMS PROMOTING A BUSTLING ONLINE WILDLIFE TRADE, NEW REPORT REVEALS |
Coalition of Conservation Organizations Demands Meta Enforce Its Own Policies, Calls on U.S. Congress to Close Legal Loopholes Shielding Tech Giants from Accountability
June 29, 2026: NAIROBI / WASHINGTON / HANOI / MONROVIA — A landmark investigative report released today by a coalition of international conservation organizations provides damning evidence that Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger — hosts the largest known illegal wildlife marketplace in the world. The report, titled Clicks That Kill: Meta's Algorithm of Extinction, documents how Meta's own algorithms and monetization programs are not only failing to stop wildlife trafficking — they are actively amplifying it.
The report was produced by Freeland, Education for Nature Vietnam, International Wildlife Trust, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, and PEGAS (Project to End Great Ape Slavery).
The report was produced by Freeland, Education for Nature Vietnam, International Wildlife Trust, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, and PEGAS (Project to End Great Ape Slavery).
READ AND DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT HERE:
READ FAQs HERE:
some selected evidences:
KEY FINDINGS
Meta hosts the world's largest illegal wildlife black market. Our researchers documented hundreds of accounts from dozens of countries openly trading live tigers, orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, and scores of other CITES-listed endangered species — and their bones, skins, meat, and organs — on Facebook and Instagram. (A parallel study by the ECO-SOLVE project detected 21,904 advertisement posts on Facebook alone for 266,535 wildlife products between April 2024 and March 2026).
Meta's algorithms actively connect and reward wildlife traffickers. The report presents evidence that Meta's recommendation algorithms direct users scrolling wildlife content toward other wildlife trafficker accounts, suggest wildlife criminals as "People You May Know," and place commercial advertisements directly on trafficker profiles. In one documented example, a user browsing an ivory trafficker's Facebook Feed was automatically introduced by Meta to additional profiles illegally selling elephant tusks.
Meta may be paying wildlife traffickers. Through its Content Monetization programs — including In-Stream Ads, Facebook Stars, and Creator Subscriptions — Meta is financially incentivizing content creators to maximize post volume. The report finds circumstantial evidence that wildlife traffickers are enrolled in these programs, meaning Meta is potentially paying them to traffic endangered species.
Meta has dismantled its own enforcement capacity. In January 2025, Meta eliminated its independent fact-checkers. In March 2026, it announced the phaseout of human content moderators in favor of Artificial Intelligence. The report documents that despite Meta's stated Community Standards prohibiting wildlife trade, warnings issued to trafficking accounts are routinely ignored — and traffickers whose accounts are suspended typically resume business on a new account within 24 hours.
Meta's legal shield is wearing thin. Meta has relied on the U.S. Communications Decency Act Section 230 (CDA 230) to claim immunity from liability for third-party content. The report argues that Meta's algorithmic promotion of traffickers, the high potential that it is monetizing trafficking content, and its guidance to content creators on maximizing engagement may constitute content creation — not mere hosting — eroding its CDA 230 protections. Furthermore, CDA 230 provides no protection under the laws of most other countries where Meta operates.
The public health stakes are real. The unrestricted trade of wild animals across borders without veterinary screening creates the conditions for zoonotic disease spillover. COVID-19, most likely originating from the unregulated wildlife trade, is cited as the clearest recent warning.
QUOTES
Steven Galster, Founder, Freeland:
"Meta's platforms have become a one-stop shop for wildlife criminals. The algorithms don't just allow this trade — they fuel it. Meta can and must halt this illegal business now and be held accountable. Meta must now help reverse the damage from this illegal trade."
Jennifer Desmond, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection:
"Critically endangered chimpanzees, and other great apes are being openly and regularly sold on Facebook. This is a threat not only of the individuals being trafficked but to entire populations across the globe. This is not a technical problem Meta can't solve — it's a choice Meta is making."
Douglas Hendrie, Education for Nature Vietnam:
"We've been reporting wildlife trafficking on Meta for years. The response has been token at best and non-existent at worst. This report is our case to the public, to lawmakers, and to Meta's own shareholders: enough."
Bruce Ohr, International Wildlife Trust:
"CDA 230 was written before the modern internet existed. It was never intended to give billion-dollar corporations a free pass to monetize criminal activity. Congress must act."
Daniel Stiles, PEGAS (Report Lead Author):
"This is the most comprehensive documentation of Meta's role in wildlife trafficking ever assembled. The evidence is overwhelming. The question now is whether Meta, Congress, and the public will act on it."
RECOMMENDATIONS
The coalition is calling on three actors to take immediate action:
ABOUT THE REPORT
Clicks That Kill: Meta's Algorithm of Extinction was researched and written by Daniel Stiles with Ricardo Forrester and Steve Galster, with editorial assistance from Bruce Ohr and Jennifer Desmond. The report draws on years of accumulated evidence across Meta's platforms, including screenshots, URL documentation, and analysis of Meta's business model, monetization programs, and content policies. The full report, FAQs and evidence archive are available at https://www.freeland.org/meta-campaign.html
ABOUT THE COALITION
• Freeland (freeland.org) is an international NGO with 25 years of operational experience combating wildlife and human trafficking across Asia, Africa and the Americas.
• Education for Nature Vietnam (env4wildlife.org) is Vietnam's leading wildlife crime monitoring and advocacy organization.
• International Wildlife Trust (internationalwildlifetrust.org) works globally to protect endangered species and their habitats.
• Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (liberiachimpanzeerescue.org) is dedicated to improving the lives of chimpanzees, both wild and rescued, through rehabilitation, protection and conservation.
• PEGAS — Project to End Great Ape Slavery (freetheapes.org) investigates and exposes the trafficking of great apes worldwide.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Primary Media Contact: Steven R Galster, Freeland
Email: [email protected] Phone: +19208074069
Secondary Media Contacts: Dan Stiles, PEGAS and Jenny Desmond, LCRP
Dan Stiles. Email: [email protected]
Jennifer Desmond. Email: [email protected] Phone: +231770479183
Meta hosts the world's largest illegal wildlife black market. Our researchers documented hundreds of accounts from dozens of countries openly trading live tigers, orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, and scores of other CITES-listed endangered species — and their bones, skins, meat, and organs — on Facebook and Instagram. (A parallel study by the ECO-SOLVE project detected 21,904 advertisement posts on Facebook alone for 266,535 wildlife products between April 2024 and March 2026).
Meta's algorithms actively connect and reward wildlife traffickers. The report presents evidence that Meta's recommendation algorithms direct users scrolling wildlife content toward other wildlife trafficker accounts, suggest wildlife criminals as "People You May Know," and place commercial advertisements directly on trafficker profiles. In one documented example, a user browsing an ivory trafficker's Facebook Feed was automatically introduced by Meta to additional profiles illegally selling elephant tusks.
Meta may be paying wildlife traffickers. Through its Content Monetization programs — including In-Stream Ads, Facebook Stars, and Creator Subscriptions — Meta is financially incentivizing content creators to maximize post volume. The report finds circumstantial evidence that wildlife traffickers are enrolled in these programs, meaning Meta is potentially paying them to traffic endangered species.
Meta has dismantled its own enforcement capacity. In January 2025, Meta eliminated its independent fact-checkers. In March 2026, it announced the phaseout of human content moderators in favor of Artificial Intelligence. The report documents that despite Meta's stated Community Standards prohibiting wildlife trade, warnings issued to trafficking accounts are routinely ignored — and traffickers whose accounts are suspended typically resume business on a new account within 24 hours.
Meta's legal shield is wearing thin. Meta has relied on the U.S. Communications Decency Act Section 230 (CDA 230) to claim immunity from liability for third-party content. The report argues that Meta's algorithmic promotion of traffickers, the high potential that it is monetizing trafficking content, and its guidance to content creators on maximizing engagement may constitute content creation — not mere hosting — eroding its CDA 230 protections. Furthermore, CDA 230 provides no protection under the laws of most other countries where Meta operates.
The public health stakes are real. The unrestricted trade of wild animals across borders without veterinary screening creates the conditions for zoonotic disease spillover. COVID-19, most likely originating from the unregulated wildlife trade, is cited as the clearest recent warning.
QUOTES
Steven Galster, Founder, Freeland:
"Meta's platforms have become a one-stop shop for wildlife criminals. The algorithms don't just allow this trade — they fuel it. Meta can and must halt this illegal business now and be held accountable. Meta must now help reverse the damage from this illegal trade."
Jennifer Desmond, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection:
"Critically endangered chimpanzees, and other great apes are being openly and regularly sold on Facebook. This is a threat not only of the individuals being trafficked but to entire populations across the globe. This is not a technical problem Meta can't solve — it's a choice Meta is making."
Douglas Hendrie, Education for Nature Vietnam:
"We've been reporting wildlife trafficking on Meta for years. The response has been token at best and non-existent at worst. This report is our case to the public, to lawmakers, and to Meta's own shareholders: enough."
Bruce Ohr, International Wildlife Trust:
"CDA 230 was written before the modern internet existed. It was never intended to give billion-dollar corporations a free pass to monetize criminal activity. Congress must act."
Daniel Stiles, PEGAS (Report Lead Author):
"This is the most comprehensive documentation of Meta's role in wildlife trafficking ever assembled. The evidence is overwhelming. The question now is whether Meta, Congress, and the public will act on it."
RECOMMENDATIONS
The coalition is calling on three actors to take immediate action:
- Meta must adhere to its own policies and deploy its superior AI and algorithmic capabilities to detect and remove wildlife trafficking content across all languages, scripts, and account privacy settings — and must ensure it is not monetizing trafficking accounts.
- The U.S. Congress must amend CDA 230 to include a carve-out for illegal wildlife trade, as it did for online sex trafficking under the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) of 2017. At minimum, the Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act — both violated daily on Meta — warrant the same protection. Congress should call on Meta to disclose its efforts to rid its platforms of violators of these federal laws, and request proof that Meta is not paying wildlife traffickers under its content monetization program.
- Governments and NGOs worldwide must invest in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) capacity to monitor and report illegal wildlife trade on social media platforms.
ABOUT THE REPORT
Clicks That Kill: Meta's Algorithm of Extinction was researched and written by Daniel Stiles with Ricardo Forrester and Steve Galster, with editorial assistance from Bruce Ohr and Jennifer Desmond. The report draws on years of accumulated evidence across Meta's platforms, including screenshots, URL documentation, and analysis of Meta's business model, monetization programs, and content policies. The full report, FAQs and evidence archive are available at https://www.freeland.org/meta-campaign.html
ABOUT THE COALITION
• Freeland (freeland.org) is an international NGO with 25 years of operational experience combating wildlife and human trafficking across Asia, Africa and the Americas.
• Education for Nature Vietnam (env4wildlife.org) is Vietnam's leading wildlife crime monitoring and advocacy organization.
• International Wildlife Trust (internationalwildlifetrust.org) works globally to protect endangered species and their habitats.
• Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (liberiachimpanzeerescue.org) is dedicated to improving the lives of chimpanzees, both wild and rescued, through rehabilitation, protection and conservation.
• PEGAS — Project to End Great Ape Slavery (freetheapes.org) investigates and exposes the trafficking of great apes worldwide.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Primary Media Contact: Steven R Galster, Freeland
Email: [email protected] Phone: +19208074069
Secondary Media Contacts: Dan Stiles, PEGAS and Jenny Desmond, LCRP
Dan Stiles. Email: [email protected]
Jennifer Desmond. Email: [email protected] Phone: +231770479183
- For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260629-for-sale-on-facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-and-dead-pangolins
- For Sale On Facebook: Monkeys, Rhino Horn And Dead Pangolins: https://www.barrons.com/news/for-sale-on-facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-and-dead-pangolins-8b82ad2e
- 20000 ads, 260000 products, report exposes Meta's wildlife trafficking market: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/20000-ads-260000-products-report-exposes-metas-wildlife-trafficking-market/articleshow/132061509.cms
- For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins: https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/sale-facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-013951220.html?guccounter=1
- For sale on Facebook: Monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins: https://str.sg/7cFq or https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/for-sale-on-facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-and-dead-pangolins/
- For sale on Facebook: Monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins: https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/6/29/for-sale-on-facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-and-dead-pangolins-1012
- Illegal wildlife trade on Facebook: How endangered species are sold online: https://www.wionews.com/world/illegal-wildlife-trade-on-facebook-how-endangered-species-are-sold-online-1782712498313
- For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolin: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/06/29/tech/facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-pangolin/
- For sale on Facebook: monkeys, rhino horn and dead pangolins: https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/06/29/for-sale-on-facebook-monkeys-rhino-horn-and-dead-pangolins
