Facebook bans misleading ads about COVID-19
Reuters File Photo


Social media giant Facebook is cracking down on misleading ads about the new coronavirus.

Facebook will remove misleading information on the COVID-19 outbreak and prevent ads about fake cures or prevention methods. The social media platform with more than 2 billion users announced that it will remove all misinformation about the new coronavirus from both its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

Facebook noted that all the ads that contain vaccine misinformation and false statements also will be banned. Facebook claimed that the decision was made in order to prevent inciting panic and fear over the COVID-19 outbreak.

The coronavirus outbreak has already killed more than 2,700 people, most of them in China, and spread to about 29 other countries, according to a Reuters tally. The number of confirmed cases has risen above 80,000.

The new coronavirus is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has infected about 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700, the vast majority in China.