Experts believe the operation is based in China and relies on a drop-shipping scheme. “It’s likely a reshipper selling controversial or illegal products,” says Zach Edwards, a senior threat researcher at cybersecurity firm Silent Push, which specializes in the online data ecosystem.
Typically, Edwards explains, drop-shippers wait for a customer to place an order, then buy the item from cheaper online retailers, repackage it, and ship it to the customer. AdWords says the operator behind the network is likely building hundreds of websites, applying a moderate markup to products, and spinning out Facebook pages to promote their items. is “Even though some sites or ads are caught and removed, others continue to run,” says Edwards. “It’s a spray-and-pray method.”
Meta expressly prohibits ads promoting firearms, silencers and related modifications. According to Meta, ads are reviewed by an automated system with support from human operators. However, enforcement has been inconsistent: while at least 74 ad campaigns in our analysis were removed for violating the platforms’ terms, the rest appear to have run successfully.
After Wired contacted Meta, the company said it had removed the ad and associated ad accounts. However, a quick search of Meta’s ad library revealed nearly identical publications.
“Bad actors are constantly evolving their strategies to avoid enforcement, so we continue to invest in tools and technology to help identify and remove banned content,” Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts wrote in a statement. ” Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts wrote in a statement.
Roberts says many of the ads flagged by WIRED had little or no engagement, suggesting that few people saw the content. However, there were thousands of comments on at least two ads reviewed by WIRED, including allegations that it was an ATF honeypot, complaints from self-identified buyers whose products never arrived, and even Testimonials from others who claim also serve as advertisements. WIRED reached out to several commenters who said they bought the product — none responded.
The ads have also caught the attention of US Defense Department officials. An internal presentation to Pentagon staff, seen by WIRED, claims that targeted advertising for a fuel filter was delivered to US military personnel on an official Pentagon computer. The presentation, which one source said was delivered to high-ranking general officers, including the US military’s chief information officer, raised the issue of how social media algorithms could be used to target service members. has been
Meta’s ad library provides limited transparency, making it unclear how these ads are targeted. The researchers suggest that Meta’s powerful advertising tools, which allow advertisers to find specific audiences using granular targeting options, could be exploited to reach gun enthusiasts or military personnel. While Roberts confirmed that Meta found no indication that these ads were targeting the military, Wired found that advertisers could easily target users who had “US Army” on their profiles or can list their job title as “military” — an audience that Meta estimates includes up to 46,134 people.
Meta’s platforms have long struggled to prevent the sale of firearms and related products. October 2024 joint report by the Tech Transparency Project found that more than 230 ads for rifles and ghost guns ran on Facebook and Instagram in about three months. Many of these ads directed buyers to third-party platforms like Telegram to complete transactions. In 2024, Two men from Los Angeles County They were accused of running an “unlicensed firearms business” that used Instagram accounts to advertise and market the sale of more than 60 firearms, including some with unidentified ghost guns and scratch-off serial numbers. Weapons were included. After this, both the persons have confessed their crime.
Silencers are rarely used in crimes, but their use is almost on the rise 5 million There are more than 1.3 million registered in the United States in 2017. last month, 26-year-old software engineer Luigi Mangione A 3D-printed gun was reportedly used armed with a silencer to fatally shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a street in midtown Manhattan.
