Facebook Removes “Pseudoscience” Ad Category

by mcardinal

The world’s largest social media network, Facebook has removed “pseudoscience” as an option for advertisers who want to target audiences, in efforts to keep misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic at bay.
Misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic has also spread on rival social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube.

Facebook has announced several initiatives to combat the spread of false COVID-19 claims, including removing content that could cause “imminent physical harm” and alerting people who have engaged with such misinformation, with a link to the World Health Organization website.

The company has also banned exploitative tactics in ads and banned ads for medical face masks, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and COVID-19 test kits.

However, a test by Consumer Reports in April showed Facebook approving ads containing coronavirus misinformation, including false claims that the virus was a hoax or that people could stay healthy through small daily doses of bleach.

Facebook reaches 2.5 billion users monthly on its core platform, or 2.9 billion including those on its apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.

By Reuters with additional sources CNN

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