Meta's monetization system paid extremist content creators in Australia
An ABC News investigation found that Meta's content monetization program paid Australian accounts linked to white nationalism, neo-Nazism and conspiracy theories, despite content that allegedly conflicted with Meta's own policies. The investigation identified payments to far-right activists and pages promoting racism and extremism.
What happened
ABC News Verify found that Meta's content monetization program had paid Australian accounts with white nationalist, neo-Nazi and anti-vaccine links. According to the investigation, some of the content posted on these pages conflicted with Meta's own monetization policies.
Among those identified as receiving payments was Hugo Lennon, a far-right activist who was removed by police after shouting racist abuse at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Australia. The Noticer, described as a platform for local neo-Nazi groups, reportedly received payments beginning in November 2025 despite its X account being suspended for rule violations.
Reported impact
Payment creates a commercial relationship between Meta and content creators, incentivizing the production of more provocative and hateful content. The monetization system raises questions about whether Meta's algorithms and payment systems are actively rewarding racism, neo-Nazism and extreme conspiracy theories.
Index analysis
Meta's content monetization program combines several features such as ads on reels, introduced in 2024. Payment is performance-based, with creators earning from public videos, stories, photos and text posts. In 2025, Facebook paid creators nearly US$3 billion distributed to approximately 16.2 million accounts worldwide.
Meta acknowledges three separate layers: community standards determine whether material may remain on Facebook; distribution and recommendation systems influence how widely it travels; and monetization rules determine whether eligible content earns money. Content can be permitted to remain on the platform but excluded from recommendations.
Governance controls
Meta stated that if creators breach its policies their earnings will be disabled, and they may be removed entirely for repeated breaches. The monetization program remains invitation-only with no publicly available criteria on whom Meta will invite.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.