Facebook and Instagram Ads Push Gun Silencers Disguised as Car Parts

Experts believe that the operation is based in China and relies on a drop-shipping scheme. “It’s probably just a reshipper selling controversial or illegal products,” says Zach Edwards, a senior threat researcher at cybersecurity firm Silent Push that specializes in online data ecosystems.

Typically, Edwards explains, drop-shippers wait for a customer to place an order, then buy the item from low-cost online retailers, repackage it, and ship it to the customer. Edwards says that the operator behind the network is likely to create hundreds of websites, applying a moderate markup to products, and spinning up Facebook pages to promote their articles. “Even though some sites or ads are caught and removed, others continue to run,” says Edwards. “It’s a spray-and-pray method.”

Meta explicitly prohibits ads promoting weapons, silencers and related modifications. According to Meta, ads are reviewed by an automated system with support from human moderators. However, enforcement has been inconsistent: While at least 74 of the advertising campaigns in our analysis were removed for violating the platforms’ terms, the rest appeared to be successful.

After WIRED reached out to Meta, the company said it removed the ads and associated advertising accounts. However, a quick search of Meta’s Ad Library revealed that almost identical ones have been posted since then.

“Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to avoid enforcement, which is why we continue to invest in tools and technology to help identify and remove prohibited content,” Meta spokesman Daniel Roberts wrote in a statement.

Roberts says many of the ads flagged by WIRED had little or no engagement, suggesting that few people ever saw this content. However, at least two ads reviewed by WIRED had thousands of comments, including accusations that it was an ATF honeypot, complaints from self-identified buyers that their products never arrived, and even testimonials from others who said the article had worked as advertised. WIRED reached out to several commenters who said they had purchased the product — none responded.

The ads also caught the attention of US Defense Department officials. An internal presentation to Pentagon staff, seen by WIRED, states that the targeted ad for a fuel filter was served to US military personnel on a government computer at the Pentagon. The presentation, which a source said was delivered to high-ranking general officers, including the US Army’s chief information officer, raised flags about how social media algorithms are were used to target service members.

The Meta Ad Library provides limited transparency, leaving it unclear exactly how these ads are being targeted. Researchers suggest that Meta’s powerful advertising tools, which allow advertisers to find niche audiences with granular targeting options, could be leveraged to reach gun enthusiasts or military personnel . While Roberts confirmed that Meta did not detect any indication that these ads were targeting the military, WIRED found that advertisers can easily target users who list their job title as “US Army” or “military” in their profiles – an audience that Meta estimates includes. up to 46,134 people.

Meta platforms have long struggled to prevent the sale of firearms and related products. A joint October 2024 report from the Technical Transparency Project found that more than 230 ads for ghost guns and guns had been shot on Facebook and Instagram in nearly three months. Many of these ads direct buyers to third-party platforms like Telegram to complete transactions. In 2024, two Los Angeles County men were charged with operating an “unlicensed firearms trading business” that used Instagram accounts to advertise and market the sale of more than 60 firearms, which included some untraceable ghost guns and weapons with scratched serial numbers . Both individuals have since pleaded guilty.

Silencers are rarely used in crimes, but their use is on the rise, almost 5 million are registered in the United States, up from 1.3 million in 2017. Last month, Luigi Mangione, 26-year-old software engineer he allegedly used a 3D printed gun equipped with a silencer to fatally shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a street in midtown Manhattan.