Facebook Stops The Practice Of Online Selling And Buying Of The Amazon Forest On Its Marketplace

Forest online sales promotion on Amazon on Facebook Marketplace is now banned (photo: unsplash)

JAKARTA - Facebook is cracking down on attempts by people who use its e-commerce platform to sell land in an ecological conservation area in the protected Amazon forest.

"Today, we are announcing steps to curb efforts to sell land in ecologically conserved areas within the Amazon rainforest on the Facebook Marketplace," Facebook said in a blog post.

Selling land in ecological conservation areas is usually illegal and can have a negative impact on the flora, fauna and people who live there. Facebook will update its trade policy to explicitly prohibit the sale or purchase of land located in ecologically conserved areas on its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp.

Quoting CNN International, Saturday, October 9, land is one of the many products available on the Marketplace, ranging from furniture to used cars, which are also sold there. Facebook's new policy comes after BBC International investigated and discovered vast tracts of land, some hundreds of hectares deep within the Amazon national forest, available for purchase on the Facebook Marketplace.

The social network initially didn't want to independently stop selling illegal land on Amazon, as Facebook's trade policies require buyers and sellers to comply with laws and regulations. However, after a few months later, Facebook took a tougher stance.

"(Current) listings may not promote the buying or selling of animals or animal products, or land in ecological conservation areas," Facebook said.

The company also plans to cross-reference the protected land database to identify those who violate its policies.

"Law enforcement will now begin to improve. Over time, we will observe how this process works and make improvements accordingly," said Facebook.