Facebook named most abusive platform for environmental defenders in global survey

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By TechWatch PH Staff

A new global survey released by watchdog group Global Witness has named Facebook as the leading platform for online harassment targeting land and environmental defenders.

The report revealed widespread abuse driven by coordinated troll attacks, bot activity, and social media platform inaction—escalating digital risks that often translate into real-world harm for activists.

The survey, conducted between November 2024 and March 2025, gathered responses from over 200 environmental and land rights advocates across multiple continents. According to the findings, 62 percent of respondents cited Facebook as the site of the most abuse, followed by WhatsApp (36 percent), Instagram (26 percent), and X (formerly Twitter) at 37 percent.

Nearly all respondents reported experiencing some form of harassment, with over three-fourths linking online abuse to offline threats. About two-thirds said they feared for their safety because of the threats and harassment they received on social media platforms.

Respondents detailed a disturbing pattern of coordinated attacks involving troll armies and what appeared to be inauthentic or automated accounts, which were used to spread disinformation, intimidate, and silence.

These digital campaigns were often timed with high-profile moments—such as environmental protests, public testimony, or international climate summits—amplifying their psychological and reputational impact.

Activists shared accounts of being falsely accused of crimes, labeled as foreign agents, or flooded with violent threats. Some said the attacks were so aggressive that they were forced to withdraw from public platforms, fearing the abuse would escalate to physical violence.

One Southeast Asian forest rights advocate said, “It felt like a wall of noise designed to shut us down. And it worked—we stopped posting. The abuse was overwhelming, and we feared for our safety.”

The report also raised concerns about the failure of tech platforms to act. Activists said they had repeatedly reported abusive accounts and harmful content to Facebook and other services, but little was done to address the issue.

Content moderation systems were described as inconsistent, poorly localized, and ineffective at detecting coordinated inauthentic behavior.

Global Witness criticized this lack of accountability and urged social media companies to implement stronger safeguards.

The group called for investments in artificial intelligence (AI)-based detection systems, transparency in content removal decisions, and platform policies that prioritize the protection of human rights defenders.

“The use of bots and trolls to target activists is not just harassment—it’s digital repression,” said a spokesperson from Global Witness. “Big Tech must act decisively before the digital public square becomes entirely unsafe for those defending our planet.”

The findings arrive at a time when digital platforms are facing growing scrutiny for their role in amplifying abuse and disinformation. In the Global South—where many environmental defenders operate in high-risk conditions—platforms often lack the local context and moderation capacity needed to respond quickly to abuse.

The Global Witness report reinforces previous warnings from civil society and advocacy organizations: that online harassment is not an isolated problem, but part of a larger ecosystem of violence and repression. In 2024 alone, at least 177 land and environmental defenders were killed worldwide, many of whom had experienced sustained online threats prior to their deaths.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has faced persistent criticism over its content moderation practices, especially outside North America and Europe. The company has been urged to invest more in localized teams and digital safety mechanisms, particularly in countries where the stakes for activists are life and death.

As the digital landscape becomes more central to activism, the risks faced by defenders—especially women, Indigenous leaders, and climate youth—continue to evolve. The report concludes with a stark warning: unless tech companies address the systemic abuse on their platforms, environmental defenders may be forced into silence, further weakening global efforts to combat the climate crisis and protect human rights.

(This article is based on the Global Witness report “Toxic Platforms, Broken Planet” released in July 2025. Findings have been independently reported by The Guardian and The Verge. For verification, see: globalwitness.org, theguardian.com, and theverge.com.)