Facebook launched a new global policy Oct. 13 that prohibits ads that discourage people from getting vaccinated for the seasonal flu, COVID-19 and other diseases.
In a company blog post, Facebook said its goal is "to help messages about the safety and efficacy of vaccines reach a broad group of people, while prohibiting ads with misinformation that could harm public health efforts."
The social media giant already prohibits ads with misinformation and ads with vaccine hoaxes that have been publicly identified global health organizations including the CDC and the World Health Organization. With its newest policy, which is set to go into effect over the next few days, Facebook will reject any ads that explicitly discourage someone from getting a vaccine.
In addition to the new ad policy, Facebook is also launching a new flu vaccine information campaign to help people find the nearest location to get the vaccine as well as reminders and resources from health authorities.