Report: Anti-Vaccination Ads Are Still Running On Facebook Despite Ban

A week ago, Facebook issued a strong statement that it would ban all ads that “discourage people from getting a vaccine.” However, according to a report in The Huffington Post this week, Facebook has actually continued to run this controversial form of misinformation — and it even accepted new ads days after the ban took effect.

Of course, Facebook’s new policy only applies to ads, which means all other forms of anti-vaxxer content can continue to spread on the platform. However, even some ads are evading Facebook’s detection — and some ad-makers may have already figured out how to skate around the social media giant’s rules.

“It is our understanding that Facebook is banning ads that actively tell people not to get a vaccine,” Facebook advertiser and herbalist Kate Tietje told Huffington Post. “We do not tell our audience what choice to make; we aim to provide links to peer-reviewed studies so that people can make informed decisions for themselves. We do not think this violates Facebook’s policy, nor should it.”

As is often the case with Facebook, it made the right decision to take down this potentially harmful content, but it didn’t go far enough. With the U.S. presidential election only weeks away, the company needs to do a better job of detecting spam and misinformation before it can really begin to spread.




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