Facebook ranks worst for online harassment
A new global survey has found Facebook to be the leading platform for online abuse targeting land and environmental defenders, with over 90 percent of respondents reporting some form of digital harassment. The findings come from Global Witness, a non-profit organisation that tracks threats to environmental advocates, including killings, and has raised renewed concerns about the real-world consequences of unchecked online abuse.
Meta platforms dominate in reports of harassment
The survey, conducted by Global Witness between November 2024 and March 2025, gathered responses from over 200 environmental and land defenders worldwide. Of those surveyed, 62 percent said they had experienced abuse on Facebook, making it the most frequently cited platform. WhatsApp followed at 36 percent, and Instagram at 26 percent. Meta owns all three platforms.
X (formerly Twitter) was also mentioned by 37 percent of respondents. However, Meta platforms were collectively described by the survey as “the most toxic.” This prevalence is likely tied to the vast global reach of Meta’s platforms, particularly Facebook, which boasts more than 3 billion monthly active users, over one-third of the worldwide population.
Despite the widespread use, Meta has been criticised for scaling back its third-party fact-checking efforts in January 2025, instead favouring a crowdsourced moderation model similar to X. Critics argue this shift could intensify hate speech and misinformation, further endangering activists.
In May, Meta acknowledged a “small increase in the prevalence of bullying and harassment content” on Facebook, as well as a similar rise in violent and graphic material during the first quarter of the year.
Harassment has real-world consequences
Global Witness warned that online harassment is not confined to the digital space and often translates into physical danger. About 75 percent of survey participants believed that online abuse was directly connected to real-world harm.
One such case is that of Fatrisia Ain, a community organiser in Sulawesi, Indonesia, who has publicly opposed palm oil companies accused of land grabs and environmental damage. Ain has faced numerous defamatory posts on Facebook, some of which label her a communist—a dangerous accusation in Indonesia, where so-called “red-tagging” has historically led to criminal charges and imprisonment for activists.
Ain said she has repeatedly asked Facebook to remove posts targeting her, but to no avail. “They said it’s not dangerous, so they can’t take it down. It is dangerous. I hope that Meta would understand, in Indonesia, it’s dangerous”. Other posts have falsely accused her of fraud and having an affair—allegations she believes are aimed at discrediting her and making her more vulnerable to threats.
Ain described physical harassment she has experienced during protests, including being groped by men. To guard against such incidents, older women now surround her during demonstrations as a form of protection. Nearly two-thirds of survey participants said they had feared for their safety, and almost a quarter reported harassment specifically linked to their gender.
Ava Lee, campaign strategy lead on digital threats at Global Witness, expressed surprise at the severity of the findings. “Those stats stayed with me. They were so much higher than we expected them to be,” she said, noting that even their most pessimistic expectations were surpassed. “It has kind of long been known that the experience of climate activists and environmental defenders online is pretty awful.”
Calls for stronger safeguards and accountability
The report also highlights the disproportionate abuse faced by women, especially women of colour. Lee said, “There’s evidence of the way that women and women of colour in particular in politics experience just vast amounts more hate than any other group. Again, we’re seeing that play out when it comes to defenders … and the threats of sexual violence, and the impact that that is having on the mental health of lots of these defenders and their ability to feel safe.”
In response to the allegations, Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said that the company encourages users to utilise its tools for protection against harassment, including the “Hidden Words” feature that filters offensive messages and comments, and the “Limits” function, which restricts comments from non-followers. Clayton also said Meta is reviewing the Facebook posts targeting Ain.
However, campaigners argue these tools are insufficient. Global Witness is calling on tech companies to take concrete steps such as increasing investment in content moderation, regularly auditing moderation systems, and inviting greater public participation in shaping platform policies. They also point to algorithms that amplify polarising content and the spread of bots as major contributors to the toxicity.
“There are several choices that platforms could make,” Lee said. “Resourcing is a choice, and they could be putting more money into excellent content moderation and good trust and safety [initiatives] to improve things.”
Global Witness plans to publish its next report on the murders of land and environmental defenders in September. The previous edition, released in 2023, documented the deaths of at least 196 individuals.