Facebook Closes Groups After Wildlife Trade Report
Why this is here: The report details how traders used a code system—letters representing Indonesian rupiah denominations—to disguise pricing within the Facebook groups, demonstrating a deliberate attempt to evade automated moderation.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has closed nine groups after a joint investigation by Mongabay and Bellingcat revealed illegal wildlife trade within them in Indonesia. The groups, some active for over five years, featured advertisements for protected species like rhinoceros hornbills and Javan silvery gibbons. Reporters found over 200 animal ads in one group alone within a week, with eighteen listing threatened species.
Mongabay and Bellingcat identified a pet store, Station Sato, linked to multiple advertisements. Undercover visits revealed the store was selling Javan coucal chicks, a vulnerable species. While an initial inspection by Indonesian authorities found no protected species, a photo presented by reporters confirmed a Javan coucal was present.
Meta stated it prohibits animal trade on its platforms and has partnered with groups like the World Wildlife Fund to combat illegal activity. Despite previous efforts to curb wildlife trade, including a ban on live animal sales in 2019, online marketplaces continue to play a key role in the illicit trade, with sellers employing codes and fake names to avoid detection.