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posted by janrinok on Monday December 16 2019, @06:14PM   Printer-friendly
from the whatever-happened-to-truth dept.

Ads on Facebook are spreading misinformation about anti-HIV drugs

While many are focused on Facebook's unwillingness to curb false political ads, there appears to be another misinformation campaign going unchecked. The Guardian and GLAAD have noted that personal injury law firms continue to run Facebook ads making false claims about the risks of Truvada, a drug meant to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission. Some float the specters of bone loss and kidney damage despite evidence that the risks of either are "not clinically significant," according to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

GLAAD said it contacted Facebook's public policy team and reached out to five fact-checking agencies, but the social network answered by pointing to a public ad policy page explaining why ads can be removed. In response, GLAAD posted an open letter asking Facebook to remove the ads, with support coming from 50 organizations, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senator Elizabeth Warren. The advocacy group is buying ads on Facebook to promote the letter among the LGBTQ+ community.

We've asked Facebook for comment.


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  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday December 16 2019, @08:35PM (4 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Monday December 16 2019, @08:35PM (#932997) Journal

    Easy enough to weed out those that were influenced by the Facebook advertisements.

    Q#1 Do you use facebook?

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
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  • (Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday December 17 2019, @02:34AM (2 children)

    by legont (4179) on Tuesday December 17 2019, @02:34AM (#933123)

    As much as I like your proposal, it will misrepresent the people.

    --
    "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
    • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday December 17 2019, @03:56PM (1 child)

      by Freeman (732) on Tuesday December 17 2019, @03:56PM (#933308) Journal

      Perhaps to some degree that is true. Here's my question, though. Can someone who is constantly on Facebook make an impartial judgement when it comes to Facebook?

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
      • (Score: 2) by legont on Wednesday December 18 2019, @01:12AM

        by legont (4179) on Wednesday December 18 2019, @01:12AM (#933511)

        Well, again, as much as I agree with your implied answer, one could argue that Facebook may have value which only the users could truly appreciate. Those people have to be heard especially since they are galore.

        --
        "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 17 2019, @02:11PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 17 2019, @02:11PM (#933260)

    I do agree that any that answer affirmatively should be removed from the jury pool.