Experts believe that the company is based in China and relies on the dropshipping system. “It’s probably just a shipper selling controversial or illegal products,” says Zach Edwards, senior threat researcher at cybersecurity firm Mute Push, which specializes in online data ecosystems.
Typically, Edwards explains, shippers wait until a customer places an order, then buy the item from low-cost online sellers, repackage it and ship it to customers. Edwards says the chain operator likely creates hundreds of web pages, applies moderate markup to products, and develops Facebook pages to promote its products. “Even if some sites or ads are caught and removed, others will still appear,” Edwards says. “It’s a ‘spray and pray’ method.”
The meta specifically prohibits ads promoting weapons, silencers, and related modifications. According to Meta, ads are reviewed by an automated system with the assistance of human moderators. However, enforcement has been inconsistent: although at least 74 ad campaigns included in our analysis were removed for violating the platforms’ terms, the rest appear to have been successful.
After WIRED contacted Meta, the company said it had removed the ads and associated ad accounts. However, a quick search of Meta’s Ad Library revealed that almost identical ads have been published since then.
“Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to avoid law enforcement, which is why we continue to invest in tools and technologies that help identify and remove prohibited content,” Meta spokesman Daniel Roberts said in a statement.
Roberts says many of the ads flagged by WIRED generated little or no engagement, suggesting that few people ever saw the content. However, at least two ads reviewed by WIRED contained thousands of comments, including accusations that it was an ATF honeypot, complaints from self-identified buyers whose products never arrived, and even reviews from others claiming the item performed as advertised. WIRED contacted several commenters who said they had purchased the product – none responded.
The ads also attracted the attention of U.S. Department of Defense officials. An internal presentation to Pentagon staff, viewed by WIRED, claims that a targeted fuel filter ad was displayed to U.S. military personnel on a government computer at the Pentagon. The presentation, which the source said was given to senior general officers including the U.S. Army’s chief information officer, raised questions about how social media algorithms are being used to target service members.
The Meta ad library provides narrow transparency, making it unclear how ads are targeted. Researchers suggest that Meta’s advanced advertising tools, which enable advertisers to find niche audiences using detailed targeting options, could be used to reach gun enthusiasts or military personnel. While Roberts confirmed that Meta did not detect any indication that these ads were targeted at the military, WIRED found that advertisers can easily target users who list their job title as “U.S. military” or “military” in their profiles – to This group of recipients, according to Meta’s estimates, includes, among others: up to 46,134 people.
Meta platforms have long fought to prevent the sale of firearms and related products. Tech Transparency Project October 2024 Joint Report found that in almost three months, over 230 ads for ghost rifles and pistols appeared on Facebook and Instagram. Many of these ads directed buyers to third-party platforms like Telegram to complete the transaction. In 2024 two men from Los Angeles County were accused of running an “unlicensed firearms trading business” that used Instagram accounts to advertise and promote the sale of more than 60 firearms, including several undetectable ghost weapons and weapons with scratched off serial numbers. Both people have already pleaded guilty.
Silencers are rarely used in crimes, but their utilize is increasing – almost 5 million are registered in the United States, up from 1.3 million in 2017. Last month, 26-year-old software engineer Luigi Mangione allegedly used a 3D-printed gun equipped with a silencer to fatally shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a midtown Manhattan street .