Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is following parent company Unilever Plc in its plan to pull advertisements from online platforms, such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google Inc., that display "unreliable and harmful content," the Nikkei Asian Review reported Feb. 14, citing a spokesperson from the Indian unit.

The report follows Unilever Plc's announced plan to stop advertising on platforms that "do not make a positive contribution to society."

"Fake news, racism, sexism, terrorists spreading messages of hate, toxic content directed at children — parts of the internet we have ended up with is a million miles from where we thought it would take us," Unilever Plc Chief Marketing and Communication Officer Keith Weed was quoted as saying in a conference organized by the Interactive Advertising Bureau in Palm Desert, Calif.

The Nikkei said Google India did not respond to its request for comment, but Facebook India reportedly said it supports Unilever's commitments and is working closely with the company.

The Indian arm of the consumer goods giant, which was recently embroiled in a profiteering probe, reportedly spent $552.5 million on online advertising in 2017, with digital marketing accounting for 15% of the company's budget.