Facebook bans anti-vaccination ads to clamp down on misinformation amid COVID-19

Facebook has announced that it will be clamping down on anti-vaccine advertisements, but with an exception carved out for ads about government vaccine policies. In a recent update, the social media company said that it will ban any ad that advocates for people to avoid getting usual injections. The firm also added that it was inspired by the coronavirus pandemic to ensure people weren’t receiving misinformation when it comes to life-saving vaccinations. 

In a blog post, Facebook said, “Our goal is to help messages about the safety and efficacy of vaccines reach a broad group of people, while prohibiting ads with misinformation that could harm public health efforts”. 

The social media website began clamping down on anti-vaccine content last year, applying fact-check labels to posts and blocking vaccine information form being promoted or advertised. Now, the recent policy takes a broader approach as it doesn’t require the platform to make a judgement call on whether an ad contains misinformation. Facebook said that if an ad explicitly discourages someone from getting a vaccine, the company will reject it and enforcement will begin over the next few days. 

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Flu vaccine information campaign 

Facebook will be launching a flu vaccine information campaign as many people in the Northern Hemisphere head into winter and will need the seasonal jab. The social media platform will also be working with global partners to help get support for people getting vaccinated before the flu season takes hold. The flu vaccine information campaign is similar to Facebook’s recently launched voting information centre, which will tell users how they can get a flu shot. 

Aleksandra Kuzmanovic, Social Media Manager at the WHO, said in a statement, "Access to reliable information is important to ensure uptake of safe and effective vaccines. We welcome Facebook's update of its vaccine ad policies to prohibit ads that discourage people from getting vaccinated”. 

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As aforementioned, Facebook will still allow advertisements to run that are against ‘legislation or government policies around vaccines,’ which also include a coronavirus vaccine. According to the blog post, the ads will have a ‘paid for by’ label, so that users will be able o see who has paid for the ad space. 

The social Sendai site said, “We regularly refine our approach around ads that are about social issues to capture debates and discussions around sensitive topics happening on Facebook. Vaccines are no different. While we may narrow enforcement in some areas, we may expand it in others”. 

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