Facebook is pulling ads from pages that contain violence or sexual
content.
The social network said that on Monday, it will expand its definition of
pages and groups that are too controversial to carry advertisements.
Facebook has sought to strike a balance between giving its 1.1 billion
users the freedom to post what they want and providing advertisers with space to
sell their products.
In May, Facebook lost more than a dozen advertisers, at least temporarily,
after the activist group Women, Action and the Media urged an advertising
boycott to protest hate speech on the Facebook site. The controversial content
included grisly photos and mottos that encouraged rape, abuse and other violence
against women.
The company said then that it would review its guidelines, update training
for employees and increase accountability for those who post such matter. It
also said it would work more closely with women's groups. Some of the companies
that initially pulled their ads — including automaker Nissan and the car-sharing
service Zipcar — said then that they were pleased with Facebook's response.
Facebook had already banned ads on certain pages. The new policy will
expand on the categories affected by the ban. In the past, a company selling
adult-theme products could have ads running on the right side of the page, for
instance. Those pages will be ad-free starting Monday.
"We recognize we need to do more to prevent situations where ads are
displayed alongside controversial Pages and Groups," the company said in a
statement Friday. "So we are taking action."
Facebook will continue to remove entire pages if they are deemed to violate
its terms of service. The new policy covers pages that are permitted, but
controversial.
Facebook said the new restrictions won't have a meaningful impact on its
business.
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