Facebook has banned ads for hand sanitizer, surface disinfecting wipes, and COVID-19 testing kits on its plaftorm, the company announced in a blog post Thursday, as it attempts to crack down on sellers looking to exploit people’s fears surrounding the global pandemic.
The updated policy applies to both ads and commercial listings on Facebook Marketplace as well as users attempting to sell such products through organic posts on Facebook or Instagram, the post said.
The move comes nearly two weeks after Facebook said it would ban ads for medical face masks amid panic-buying that’s led to a global shortage where even healthcare workers can’t get supplies. However, ads for masks were still appearing this week as the company scrambles to take them all down.
Despite the ban, people have been buying and selling huge quantities of masks in dedicated Facebook groups, which are more difficult for the company to police.
In late February, Facebook initially banned ads claiming to cure the coronavirus disease, specifically those that “refer to the coronavirus and create a sense of urgency, like implying a limited supply, or guaranteeing a cure or prevention,” the company told Business Insider.
Facebook is not alone in its battle against opportunistic sellers. Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and other online retailers have also sought to limit price gouging and attempts at profiteering from people’s fears, while Apple and Google have banned all coronavirus-related apps not from official sources from their app stores.
Separately, Facebook — along with other social media companies — has also been waging a battle against a surge of misinformation on its platform that the World Health Organization has called an “infodemic.”
CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told the New York Times that it’s easier for Facebook to “take a much harder line” on its policies against harmful and misleading content amid a global health crisis, but it’s not clear how effective those efforts have been so far.
Source:
BusinessInsider