You probably know that you can buy cars on Facebook Marketplace, but did you know that you can also buy land on it? Back in February, BBC published a story detailing how Facebook Marketplace was being used to illegally sell Amazon rainforest land plots. Facebook finally took a stand recently and is taking actions to curb Amazon land listings on Marketplace.
A lot of these sales were made by people who stole land from indigenous communities, deforested it, and sold it for cattle ranching. These plots were also often sold without an official land title, which is the only document proving land ownership in Brazil.
Facebook’s statement about curbing Amazon land listings
Before this, Facebook said that they would not take independent action of its own to halt the trade, but it seems like they changed their minds.
Facebook put out a statement saying that they are “committed to sustainability” and curbing “attempts to sell land in ecological conservation areas within the Amazon rainforest on Facebook Marketplace.”
They plan on curbing these listings by explicitly prohibiting the buying or selling of land of any type in ecological conservation areas. Facebook will also use a database to review listings and make sure they follow this new policy. New listings in specific areas will be identified and blocked to protect the conservation areas.
“These are the first steps Facebook is taking to address this issue, and as with other integrity initiatives we will continue working to prevent people from circumventing our enforcement” Facebook concluded.
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