Facebook will ban all ads that mislead people about the on-going novel coronavirus outbreak. The company says they will ban all ads that promise to either cure, prevent or provoke a sense of urgency around the virus outbreak through a new policy.
“We recently implemented a policy to prohibit ads that refer to the coronavirus and create a sense of urgency, like implying a limited supply, or guaranteeing a cure or prevention,” stated a company spokesperson.
The company will also keep its marketplace in check through similar policies. Advertisements with dubious claims like ‘face masks are 100% guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus’ will not be allowed, said a company spokesperson.
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China, there has been an upsurge of fake news around the topic at an alarming rate.
In the current digital age, with billions of people online, this has proved as fertile territory for those who want to spread misinformation. Social media companies have been awake in the past few weeks trying to contain the fake news menace.
Coronavirus or Covid-19, which reportedly originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan towards the end of 2019, has infected more than 79,000 people while the death toll has risen to over 2,700, based on recent reports.
