Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram fail to remove posts selling date rape drugs

Social media giants Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram are under fire after failing to enforce a full ban on accounts selling ‘date rape’ drugs.

It comes after an i investigation found an open network of dealers operating on their apps advertising substances used in spiking attacks, including GHB, GBL, Xanax and rohypnol.

The accounts, which included posts promising “discreet” deliveries, were reported to the tech firms earlier this week but several remained more than 48 hours later. i also found other accounts on Friday advertising drugs used for spiking.

MPs, charities and a spiking survivor, who is also a tech CEO, demanded social media firms take tougher action against criminal behaviour on their platforms and branded the failure to remove some of the accounts a “scandal”.

On Tuesday, i revealed that hundreds of posts promoting drugs used for spiking were being advertised on Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, X and TikTok.

Some dealers advertised the substances as “lethal chemsex drugs”, “club drugs” or “date-rape drugs”.

TikTok was the only company to remove all the accounts brought to its attention, with the others wholly or partially failing to shut down the dealers’ channels.

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, who is chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said the platforms can no longer be “in denial” or paying “lip service” to safety issues on their products and that they needed to do more to protect people from spiking.

Her comments were echoed by Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who sits on the same committee. She said “i‘s investigation is shocking” and criticised the lack of action from Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Telegram. Ms Harris said “to not properly respond and take action is a scandal. People’s lives are at risk and it seems they don’t care.”

Alex Davies-Jones, Labour’s shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, said it was “unacceptable social media companies have to be pushed to remove these accounts, and even then, they fail to ensure that accounts of a similar nature do not remain up”.

Telegram, an encrypted messaging app, and X, formerly known as Twitter, did not respond to requests for comment and to date have not removed any of the posts.

Meta said on Tuesday: “We don’t allow the sale of drugs on our platforms and we have removed the violating accounts brought to our attention.”

However, 48 hours later, some of the accounts remained online. Facebook was still hosting accounts that were selling to the UK as well as other countries.

It is understood that on Friday afternoon Meta removed other accounts from its platforms that were advertising drugs used for spiking following another approach from i.

Two leading charities working with victims of spiking and sexual assault said they were “deeply concerned” by the social media firms’ response.

Lucy Duckworth, policy officer for The Survivors Trust which represents people impacted by sexual violence, said they were “deeply concerned about the online sale of drugs which are commonly used to poison victims to impair their capacity to fight back when raped or sexually assaulted.

“It is shocking the lack of responsibility that Meta and other tech companies take for preventing sexual violence.”

She is particularly worried about the damage caused by end-to-end encryption on apps like Telegram, saying “we have to stop companies making it so easy for perpetrators and therefore, so difficult for victims to get the justice and support they need”.

Colin Mackie, of anti-spiking charity Spike Aware, urged the Government to put pressure on tech firms, saying: “If these companies are not willing to self monitor and take action, when these sites have been highlighted, then it is time for Government intervention.” His son Greg died as a result of his drink being spiked.

Spiking is when a substance is put into a person’s body, either through a drug added to a drink or via injection, without that person’s consent.

The latest available data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council for 2022-23 recorded 6,732 spiking incidents reported to the police, 4,643 of these were administered by drink, 957 by needle and the rest by unspecified means.

But there are fears the numbers are far higher because many victims do not report their ordeals to police and testing for proof is largely inadequate. Reports of needle spiking first emerged during freshers’ week in 2021 but were dismissed after some police forces said they had found no evidence of such attacks. The NPCC has said needle spiking is happening but it is rare.

For Olivia DeRamus, the issue is personal. She was spiked while out at a bar in London.

“Luckily, I made it home safely that night,” she said. “The same cannot be said for so many women… But I do not think it is necessary to have a personal tie to understand the seriousness of tech’s role here.”

Ms DeRamus founded Communia, a social media app for women and non-binary people, after her own experience with sexual assault and finding there were a lack of resources and support on mainstream social media.

She said: “The onus should not be on individuals and journalists to root out accounts using Meta’s platforms for nefarious purposes.

“We must start holding social media companies accountable.”

GHB and GBL, the drugs most commonly associated with spiking crimes, were raised from a Class C drug to a Class B drug in 2021. While the substances can be used recreationally, they are a known weapon of rapists because of the ability to make a person feel sleepy and affect their memory. A small dose can render a person unconscious.

The two substances have been used by serial rapists, including high-profile predators in the UK such as serial killer Stephen Port and Reynhard Sinaga, who is believed to be the most prolific rapist in British legal history.

The sale of GBL on TikTok was first exposed by i last year, and the practice is ongoing on the platform and others nearly 12 months later.

Ms Nokes said: “It is not good enough for Meta to pay lip service on this issue. We need action to protect women from predators who are seeking to buy a drug specifically marketed to facilitate abuse.

“Telegram really does seem to be like the Wild West. They’re clearly in denial that their platform is facilitating rape and abuse.”

Ms Harris said: “The i‘s investigation is shocking. It is frightening that these drugs, used by people to incapacitate and rape people, are openly sold on something as easy to access as social media.

“Criminals no longer need to seek out the dark web. For Meta and Telegram to not properly respond and take action is a scandal. People’s lives are at risk and it seems they don’t care.”

Shadow minister Ms Davies-Jones said: “It is shocking that date rape and spiking drugs are so readily available online making it easier for perpetrators to plan and carry out these dreadful attacks.

“It is further unacceptable that social media companies have to be pushed to remove these accounts, and even then, they fail to ensure that accounts of a similar nature do not remain up.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Spiking is an appalling crime which seriously undermines public safety, particularly for women, and we are committed to stamping it out. That is we have reclassified ‘date rape’ drugs from class C to B associated with drink spiking so perpetrators face harsher penalties.

“All companies in the scope of the Online Safety Act will be required to tackle content related to the sale of illegal drugs, including ‘date rape drugs’, to ensure that their services are not used for criminal activity.”

After being approached on Friday, Meta removed the remaining accounts flagged by i but did not offer any further comment. X and Telegram did not respond.