Facebook confirmed Wednesday it would prohibit advertisements on its platform for products that falsely promise to cure or prevent the deadly coronavirus as it continues to spread.
“In the weeks after the World Health Organization’s declared a public health emergency, Facebook is working to support their work in multiple ways, including taking steps to stop ads for products that refer to the coronavirus and create a sense of urgency, like implying a limited supply, or guaranteeing a cure or prevention,” said a Facebook spokesperson.
“For example, ads with claims like face masks are 100% guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus will not be allowed,” the Facebook spokesperson said.
Besides ads, Facebook said the social network will remove content containing false claims or conspiracy theories — like drinking bleach to cure the coronavirus, for example — that could potentially prove harmful.
Facebook’s new ad policies pertaining to the coronavirus were first reported late Tuesday by the Business Insider website.
Discovered in December in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus has spread around the globe in the weeks since, with the World Health Organization reporting confirmed cases in 37 countries.
More than 80,000 people so far have contracted the coronavirus strain officially titled COVID-19, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, including over 2,700 patients who have passed away afterward.
President Trump is scheduled to address the outbreak Wednesday evening from the White House.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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