Facebook and Instagram ads push firearm silencers disguised as auto parts

Experts believe that the operation is based in China and relies on a direct shipping system. “It’s likely just a shipping company selling controversial or illegal products,” says Zach Edwards, a senior threat researcher at cybersecurity firm Silent Push who specializes in online data ecosystems.

Edwards explains that shipping companies typically wait for a customer to place an order, then purchase the item from inexpensive online retailers, repackage it, and ship it to customers. Edwards says the operator behind the network likely creates hundreds of websites, applies moderate markup to products, and spins Facebook pages to promote its items. “Even if some sites or ads are detected and removed, others continue to operate,” Edwards says. “It’s a spray-and-pray approach.”

Meta explicitly prohibits ads promoting weapons, silencers, and related mods. According to Meta, ads are reviewed by an automated system with support from human moderators. However, implementation has been inconsistent: while at least 74 of the campaigns in our analysis were removed for violating the platforms’ terms, the rest appear to have run successfully.

After WIRED contacted Meta, the company said it had removed the ads and associated ad accounts. However, a quick search in the Meta ad library revealed that almost identical ads had been published since then.

“Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to avoid enforcement, which is why we continue to invest in tools and technology to help identify and remove prohibited content,” Meta spokesman Daniel Roberts wrote in a statement.

Many of the ads reported by WIRED had little or no engagement, suggesting that few people saw this content at all, Roberts says. However, at least two ads reviewed by WIRED had thousands of comments, including accusations that it was an ATF trap, complaints from self-identified buyers whose products never arrived, and even testimonials from others claiming the item worked as advertised. WIRED reached out to several commenters who said they had purchased the product, and none responded.

The ads have also caught the attention of US Department of Defense officials. An internal presentation to Pentagon staff, viewed by WIRED, claims that targeted advertising for the fuel filter was presented to US military personnel on a government computer at the Pentagon. The presentation, which one source says was made to senior general officers, including the US Army’s chief information officer, raised signs about how social media algorithms are being used to target service members.

The Meta ad library offers limited transparency, making it unclear exactly how these ads are targeted. The researchers point out that powerful Meta Advertising tools, which allow advertisers to find niche audiences using precise targeting options, could be exploited to reach gun enthusiasts or military personnel. While Roberts emphasized that Meta had detected no indication that these ads were targeting the military, WIRED found that advertisers could easily target users who list their job titles as “US Army” or “Military” on their profiles — an audience covered by estimates As many as 46,134 people dead.

Meta platforms have long fought to prevent the sale of firearms and related products. October 2024 joint report from the Tech Transparency Project It found that more than 230 ads for rifles and ghost rifles had been shown on Facebook and Instagram in nearly three months. Many of these ads directed buyers to third-party platforms such as Telegram to complete transactions. In 2024, Two men from Los Angeles County They were accused of running an “unlicensed firearms business” that used Instagram accounts to advertise and market the sale of more than 60 firearms, which included some untraceable ghost guns and weapons with scratched-off serial numbers. Both individuals have since pleaded guilty.

Silencers are rarely used in crimes, but their use is on the rise, almost certainly 5 million registered in the United States, up from 1.3 million in 2017. Last month, 26-year-old software engineer Luigi Mangione He allegedly used a 3D printed gun Equipped with a silencer to shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan street.