TECH TUESDAY – Pretty much anyone who’s driven through Bangkok’s streets, taken a ride on the Skytrain or spent any time at all in the Thai capital has seen signs of the city’s world-renowned prostitution industry.
Specifically, you’ve probably seen signs for prostitution.
You can spot the infamous go-go bar neon lights of Soi Cowboy from Asoke BTS platform. Drive up Ratchada Road and you’ll encounter enormous, garish buildings painted pink or purple – “massage parlors” with several-story high photos of half-naked women plastered on their walls or on big marquees facing the road. Thonglor is speckled with karaoke dens catering to Japanese customers with groups of young women crowded in front of kawai girl anime art out front. And let’s not forget the bright lights and big signs of those tourist darling areas Nana and Patpong.
It’s no surprise, I suppose, that advertising of this sort would migrate to the internet… but recently I’ve been a bit surprised to see ads for local “gentlemen’s clubs” in my Facebook feed.
Is nothing sacred!?
That’s right, establishments with suggestive names involving words like “pimp” and “x-girls” have been detracting (distracting?) from my Facebook user experience with right-hand sidebar ads urging me to “swim with a bunny this afternoon” or to party at a cosplay high school where there’s “no teacher, no rules 555+.” Images of young women in the scantiest of clothing, wearing fake eyelashes and colored contact lenses accompany these calls to action.
I wonder if ol’ Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is aware that his multi-billion dollar operation may be profiting indirectly from Thailand’s notorious sex industry?
Probably not. But maybe he does.
After all, somebody at Facebook definitely knows, because every ad on the social network must be approved by the company before posting.
UK newspaper The Times broke the story of escort services in Britain using the social network to advertise their wares. When contacted, Facebook reportedly took down the ads for violating its advertising guidelines.
A quick glance at that policy leads me to conclude that Facebook sure ain’t following its own rules. A few of the finer points:
IV. A. Adult Products: Ads may not promote the sale or use of adult products or services, including but not limited to toys, videos, publications, live shows, or sexual enhancement products.
IV. C. Dating: Ads for adult friend finders or dating sites with a sexual emphasis are not permitted.
V. E. Sex/Nudity: Ads may not contain adult content, including nudity, depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions, or activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative.
It’s safe to say that the ads I refer to violate those terms. Not that I really care.
But I hope they’re at least targeting people over 18?
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Tech Tuesday: Whereby Coconuts Bangkok explores the digital world through a local lens.
