Facebook bans anti-vaccination ads but not antivax posts

Oakland: Facebook says it will ban ads on its platform that discourage vaccinations — with an exception carved out for advocacy ads about government vaccine policies.

The company already bans ads about vaccine “hoaxes,” such as the false idea that vaccinations cause autism. The latest policy expands the ban to ads that discourage vaccines for any reason.

But Facebook also said Tuesday that ads that “advocate for or against legislation or government policies around vaccines” — including a COVID-19 vaccine — will still be allowed. These ads will still have to be approved by the company as political advertisements and include a “paid for by” label on who is funding them.