Facebook announced on Friday it is banning face mask ads and commerce listings from its platforms. “We are temporarily banning advertisements and commerce listings, like those on Marketplace, that sell medical face masks,” the tech giant said in a statement.
“We’re monitoring COVID19 closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency,” Facebook Director of Product Management Rob Leathern said in an update on Twitter. “We’ll start rolling out this change in the days ahead.”
Update: We’re banning ads and commerce listings selling medical face masks. We’re monitoring COVID19 closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency. We’ll start rolling out this change in the days ahead.
— Rob Leathern 🎲 (@robleathern) March 7, 2020
Facebook earlier announced a ban on ads for medical products which falsely suggest an item is in limited supply, and any that promote fake “cures” or prevention methods for COVID-19. Coronavirus-themed Groups and Pages also will be blocked from its algorithm, Facebook says. The rules apply to Instagram as well. “Supplies are short, prices are up, and we’re against people exploiting this public health emergency,” tweeted Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins, there have been more than 101,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, around the world. More than 57,000 people have recovered, and at least 3,400 people have died.
