Ireland’s largest retail representative body Retail Excellence has today (18 July) suspended its partnership with Facebook following the expose of practices and content moderation on their online platform by Channel 4 Dispatches programme which aired last night.
Retail Excellence partnered with Facebook to provide training to retailers to enhance their digital strategies through their platform.
The next Retail Excellence – Facebook training course was scheduled to take place next week. Facebook was also expected to address delegates at the Retail Excellence eCommerce Conference on September 19.
“Based on the revelations from Channel 4 Dispatches documentary last evening, we have decided to suspend our partnership with Facebook until further notice,” said Lorraine Higgins, CEO of Retail Excellence.
“As a representative body which promotes standards of excellence amongst retailers, it would be wrong for us to continue our partnership where they have fallen short. On that basis, we will not be working with Facebook until we are satisfied their policies have been overhauled regarding the posting of violent and abusive content for commercial gain”.
“We will not be commenting further,” Higgins concluded.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
