Facebook has been found hosting several groups where Uber and DoorDash driver accounts are being traded, thereby circumventing the necessary screening procedures and potentially posing a safety risk.
What Happened: Meta Platform‘s (NASDAQ:META) Facebook is hosting numerous groups where Uber driver accounts can be bought or rented. This allows individuals to drive for Uber (NYSE:UBER) and other rideshare and delivery apps like DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH) without undergoing the mandatory screening process or even having a valid driver’s license, revealed an investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), an initiative of the Campaign for Accountability (CfA).
Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
The investigation identified 80 such Facebook groups with a combined membership of over 800,000 users engaged in this trade, in clear violation of Meta’s policies against fraud. The existence of these groups suggests that content moderation on Facebook is not being effectively enforced.
Within these groups, users shared listings of Uber and DoorDash driver accounts available for sale or rent, while potential buyers inquired about the availability of these accounts across different U.S. cities, states, and even international markets.
Michelle Kuppersmith, CfA Executive Director, stated, “This is just the latest example of Meta failing to rid its platform of illicit black markets.”
“By facilitating this market of fake accounts, Meta is exacerbating a serious public safety problem,” Kuppersmith added.
Why It Matters: This isn’t the first time that Meta has been in the spotlight for its content moderation policies. In 2022, a TTP report revealed that some sellers were offering document packages for account verification, including IDs and Social Security cards. Meta later deleted those accounts.
In January, Meta shifted its content moderation approach, moving from third-party fact-checkers to a user-driven “community notes” model for flagging questionable content.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained, “So, we’re going to continue to focus these systems on tackling illegal and high-severity violations, like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud and scams.” However, he also stated, “Too much harmless content gets censored, too many people find themselves wrongly locked up in ‘Facebook jail,’ and we are often too slow to respond when they do.”
Notably, this investigative report comes at a time when Zuckerberg is facing a historic antitrust trial that could lead to the disintegration of his social media empire comprising Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
The momentum rating of META is 60.72% while its growth rating is 74.91%, according to Benzinga’s Proprietary Edge Rankings. To check out the ratings for Uber and DoorDash, sign up for Benzinga Edge.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.