MENLO PARK, CA — Facebook officials announced they will be removing misleading advertisements for HIV prevention drugs from their platform after pressure from several LGBTQ organizations.
The ads, which link to law firms and ongoing lawsuits, play up the possibility of FDA-approved medication causing kidney failure and bone density problems.
Advocacy groups, like the LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD, are concerned the ads could scare people away from treatment.\
In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg, GLAAD writes, “we are urgently reaching out to Facebook and Instagram regarding factually inaccurate advertisements which suggest negative health effects of Truvada PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). The advertisements are targeting LGBTQ Facebook and Instagram users, and are causing significant harm to public health.”
Facebook initially said its fact checkers weren’t able to find any falsehoods in the ads.
“We value our work with LGBTQ groups and constantly seek their input,” Facebook spokeswoman Devon Kearns said in a statement. “While these ads do not violate our ad policies nor have they been rated false by third-party fact-checkers, we’re always examining ways to improve and help these key groups better understand how we apply our policies."