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ThinkingSapien
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Facebook bans anti-vaccination ads but not antivax posts
Facebook says it will ban ads on its platform that discourage vaccinations and will run an information campaign to encourage people to get their flu shots
OAKLAND, Calif. – Facebook says it will ban ads on its platform that discourage vaccinations — with an exception carved out for advocacy ads about government vaccine policies.The company already bans ads about vaccine “hoaxes," such as the false idea that vaccinations cause autism. The latest policy expands the ban to ads that discourage vaccines for any reason.
But Facebook also said Tuesday that ads that “advocate for or against legislation or government policies around vaccines” — including a COVID-19 vaccine — will still be allowed. These ads will still have to be approved by the company as political advertisements and include a “paid for by” label on who is funding them.
And unpaid posts by people or groups that discourage vaccinations will also still be allowed — the new policy only includes paid advertisements.
The social network said it will also run an information campaign encouraging people to get their flu shots this year.
Facebook has taken other steps to try to stop the spread of vaccine and coronavirus-related misinformation on its platform. Last year, it said it would begin hiding groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations from the search function of its site.