Facebook to ban face mask ads to prevent exploiting of coronavirus fears

Facebook is temporarily banning advertisements for medical face masks as part of an effort to prevent use of its platform to exploit people’s concerns about the new coronavirus.

The ban covers advertisements on the social media platform as well as commercial listings on Facebook Marketplace, the company said.

Facebook said it would begin to enforce the ban over the next few days.

Our teams are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency, Rob Leathern, Facebook’s director of product management, said in a statement issued late Friday.