Experts believe the operation is based in China and relies on a dropshipping program. “It's probably just a reshipper selling controversial or illegal products,” said Zach Edwards, senior threat researcher at cybersecurity firm Silent Push, who 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 customers. Edwards says the operator behind the network is likely creating hundreds of websites, applying modest formatting to the products and setting up Facebook pages to promote their items. “Even if some sites or ads are spotted and removed, others remain active,” 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 the support of human moderators. However, enforcement has been inconsistent: While at least 74 of the ad campaigns in our analysis were removed for violating the platforms' terms of service, the rest appeared to have been successfully executed.
After WIRED contacted Meta, the company said it had removed the ads and associated ad accounts. However, a quick search of Meta's Ads Library revealed that nearly identical ads have been published since then.
“Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to avoid enforcement. That's why we continue to invest in tools and technology to help identify and remove prohibited content,” Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts wrote in a statement.
Roberts says many of the ads WIRED flagged had little to no engagement, suggesting few people have ever seen this 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 testimonials from others who claimed the item worked as advertised. WIRED reached out to several commenters who said they had purchased the product, but no one responded.
The ads have also caught the attention of U.S. Department of Defense officials. An internal presentation to Pentagon staff viewed by WIRED claims the targeted fuel filter ad was served to US military personnel on a government computer in the Pentagon. The presentation, which a source said was given to senior general officers including the U.S. Army's Chief Information Officer, highlighted the way social media algorithms are used to target service members.
Meta's Ad Library offers limited transparency, leaving it unclear how exactly these ads are targeted. Researchers suggest that Meta's powerful advertising tools, which allow advertisers to find niche audiences using granular targeting options, could be abused to reach gun enthusiasts or military personnel. While Roberts confirmed that Meta found no indication that these ads were aimed at the military, WIRED found that advertisers can easily target users who list their job title as “U.S. Army” or “military” on their profile — a target audience that Meta says also exists to 46,134 people.
Meta's platforms have long struggled to prevent the sale of firearms and related products. An October 2024 joint report from the Tech Transparency Project found that more than 230 ads for guns and ghost guns had appeared on Facebook and Instagram in nearly three months. Many of these ads sent buyers to third-party platforms, such as Telegram, to complete transactions. In 2024, two Los Angeles County men 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 untraceable ghost guns and weapons with scratched off serial numbers. Both people have now pleaded guilty.
Silencers are rarely used in crimes, but their use is on the rise, with nearly 5 million registered in the United States, up from 1.3 million in 2017. Last month, 26-year-old software engineer Luigi Mangione reportedly developed a 3D-printed device have used. pistol fitted with a silencer to fatally shoot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a downtown Manhattan street.
