Ads that discourage people from receiving vaccinations will now be banned globally, Facebook Inc. announced today.

After facing widespread criticism last year, Facebook said it would start taking down content relating to vaccination misinformation. At the time the World Health Organization said “vaccine hesitancy” had become a threat to global health and social media was partly to blame.

The new ban is different in that now, not only will spurious vaccine information be taken down, but any content in ads that advises against getting a vaccination will be removed. Following years of criticism for not taking down content deemed to be harmful, Facebook of late has introduced a slew of new policies.

In a blog post, Facebook Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin and Product Management Director Rob Leathern said that though we can’t expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be released for some time, this year it’s especially important that people get their seasonal flu vaccine. Not only will Facebook ban ads that discourage people from getting one, but it will work with UNICEF to address the spread of vaccine misinformation and provide factual information. The company is currently working with UNICEF as well as WHO to educate people worldwide about vaccines.

“We’ll be directing people to general information about the flu vaccine and how to get it, including the nearest location to get the vaccine in the U.S. using our Preventive Health Tool,” said Facebook. “We’ll also be including sharable flu vaccine reminders and resources from health authorities in News Feed and within the COVID-19 Information Center.” This will start in the U.S. and roll out globally in the coming weeks.

The new policy doesn’t mean that ads endorsing or disapproving of government legislation around vaccines will be banned. These will still be allowed if they adhere to the policy of being authorized and also are transparent regarding who is paying for the ad.

“We regularly refine our approach around ads that are about social issues to capture debates and discussions around sensitive topics happening on Facebook,” said the company. “Vaccines are no different. While we may narrow enforcement in some areas, we may expand it in others.”

Photo: Dr. Partha Sarathi Sahana/Flickr