Gunsellers were found to be secretly posting assault rifles and other guns for sale on Facebook Marketplace by disguising them as posts for gun cases or empty boxes.

The practice was spotted by the Wall Street Journal, who discovered over-priced cases listed in several US states. 

When contacted, sellers revealed that the sale price included the firearm that belongs to the case. 

The practice is in defiance of Facebook's ban on the sale of private guns and ammunition.

Facebook uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human moderators to police sales on Marketplace, calling into question the workings and effectiveness of its system.

Reports have highlighted that Facebook historically allowed users up to ten violations of its gun-sale policy before permanent suspension - a lenient threshold compared to other safety violations. 

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://www.wsj.com/articles/gun-sellers-are-sneaking-onto-facebooks-booming-secondhand-marketplace-11566315198

• https://www.wsj.com/articles/democratic-senators-question-facebook-on-hidden-gun-sales-11567781443

• https://www.wsj.com/articles/gun-sellers-use-new-tactic-to-deal-on-facebook-marketplace-11598270872

• https://www.businessinsider.com/gun-owners-use-facebook-marketplace-sell-without-background-checks-2019-8

• https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-guns-sale-marketplace-loophole-a9073311.html

• https://www.businessinsider.com/guns-sold-online-facebook-marketplace-mark-zuckerberg-sticker-listings-workaround-2020-8

• https://abc13.com/facebook-sellng-guns-on-gun-sales-troubleshooter/5706821/

• https://www.protocol.com/facebook-gun-sales-ban