Some of the world’s biggest brands have axed advertising on social media as a campaign against hate speech gathers pace.
Starbucks is the latest to take action, following similar decisions by Coca-Cola and Unilever.
The abandonment of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram by big companies follows mounting concern about the role of social media giants as a channel for hate speech.
Retailer Patagonia, which has a long track record on ethical issues, was among the first to pull advertising, until at least the end of July.
A Starbucks spokesperson told the BBC: “We believe in bringing communities together, both in person and online.”
The coffee giant said it would “have discussions internally and with media partners and civil rights organisations to stop the spread of hate speech”.
It will continue to post on social media and has excluded video site YouTube from its social media marketing pause.
Starbucks followed Coca-Cola, which said it would stop advertising on all social media platforms globally and called for “greater accountability”.
Unilever, owner of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand, has pulled advertising from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in the US for the remainder of this year “at least”.
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