Coronavirus: Facebook gives free ads to WHO

Facebook chief executive and founder Mark Zuckerberg will give the World Health Organisation (WHO) free advertising for its coronavirus response.

In a post on Facebook this week, Zuckerberg announced that his social network would be ‘‘giving the WHO as many free ads as it needs for its coronavirus response along with other in-kind support’’.

Now, whenever a user searches for ‘‘coronavirus’’ on Facebook, they’ll see a pop-up that says ‘‘Looking for coronavirus info? See the most up-to-date information from the World Health Organisation (WHO) so you can stay healthy and help prevent the spread of the virus.’’

Facebook users in countries where the WHO has reported person-to-person transmission will also see free WHO ads in their newsfeed.

Zuckerberg’s 717-word post also stated that his social network would tackle any coronavirus-related fake news.

‘‘We’re also focused on stopping hoaxes and harmful misinformation. It’s important that everyone has a place to share their experiences and talk about the outbreak, but as our community standards make clear, it’s not okay to share something that puts people in danger. So we’re removing false claims and conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organisations.’’

The post goes on to state that Facebook’s philanthropy project, in partnership with the Gates Foundation, managed to ‘‘sequence the full genome of the virus that causes Covid-19 in days’’.

Zuckerberg ended the post by saying that he felt his company had a responsibility to ensure his services stayed ‘‘stable and reliable’’ due to the way ‘‘people rely on communication tools even more than usual’’ in times of crisis.

The move is a much-needed PR win for Facebook as, in recent years, it has faced heavy criticism for its handling of political misinformation.

‘‘We’re removing false claims and conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organisations.’’ Mark Zuckerberg, above