Witch doctors beware: Facebook will no longer allow advertisements guaranteeing a cure for the mysterious SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
The social media giant announced on Wednesday that it would work to block any advertisement promising to treat the coronavirus as the SARs-like disease continues to spread. The coronavirus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19, has already infected more than 81,000 people on six continents, and officials in the United States have been warning the public to plan for a potential outbreak.
As the infection spreads, Facebook announced that it is working to stop people who are trying to profit off of the fears of those concerned about the virus by selling fake cures or otherwise fanning the flames of panic.
“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,” a representative from Facebook told ABC News.
The representative explained, “For example, ads with claims like face masks are 100% guaranteed to prevent the spread of the virus will not be allowed.”
Facebook’s decision follows moves made by Twitter and Google to curb the distribution of false information about the illness. Google has partnered with the United Nations’s World Health Organization to ensure that verified data lands at the top of any searches about coronavirus, and Twitter has similarly altered its algorithm to promote credible tweets.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, a director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Tuesday that “disruption to everyday life might be severe” if the virus continues to spread throughout the U.S. She also noted her concerns about her children’s wellbeing in the event of an outbreak and instructed schools to have a plan for dealing with the contagious illness, including a potential school closure policy.
“We can have community spread in the United States and have it be reasonably mild, and we can have community spread in the U.S. and have it be very severe,” Messonnier said. “That is what we don’t completely know yet, and we certainly also don’t exactly know when it’s going to happen.”
