Facebook ads push misinformation about HIV prevention drugs, LGBT activists say
WASHINGTON - Facebook users have been bombarded with misleading ads about medication meant to prevent the transmission of HIV, according to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates, who say the tech giant's refusal to remove the content has created a public-health crisis.
The ads have been viewed millions of times in recent months, Facebook's archive reveals, and LGBT organizations argue they've had a dire effect: They've scared patients, potentially those who may be most at risk of contracting HIV, out of taking preventative drugs, known as PrEP, even though health officials and federal regulators have said they are safe.
Many of the ads appear to have been purchased by personal-injury lawyers and entities affiliated with them. They allege in lawsuits that HIV medications, such as Truvada, actually threaten patients with serious side effects. But groups led by GLAAD, which regularly advises Facebook on LGBT issues, say the ads are "false" and have urged Facebook for months to take them down - to no avail.
In response, GLAAD plans to step up its efforts on Monday, joining the Human Rights Campaign, The Trevor Project and 49 other prominent LGBT groups in publicly calling out the tech giant for a policy that puts "real people's lives in imminent danger."
The ads also have worried some health professionals, like Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy commissioner for the Division of Disease Control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He said the ads, which he has seen on his own Facebook feed, threaten to undo years of work to promote a drug that can cut down on the transmission of HIV and potentially save lives.
"I still see patients," Daskalakis said. "Four of my seven PrEP patients came in and said, 'How could you be putting me on this medication that's so unsafe? My Instagram ads say so.'"
Facebook, meanwhile, says the ads do not violate its policies.
"We value our work with LGBTQ groups and constantly seek their input," 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."
For Facebook, the dispute surrounding its approach to Truvada and other HIV medications reflects its continuing struggle over what to do about false, ambiguous or controversial ads in the age of the Internet, where social-media platforms easily can become conduits for misinformation - with unprecedented influence and reach far beyond its print, radio and television predecessors.
The issue has commanded rare public attention recently because of the 2020 election, given the falsehoods peddled by President Donald Trump's campaign that Facebook has refused to take down. But political ads next year are expected to generate less than 1 percent of the company's revenue, reflecting the enormity and complexity of Facebook's task - as a site that serves more than 2 billion users globally - to protect people from a wide array of harm.
Determining what is true and false often is difficult, and the content the company allows or rejects can have vast consequences for free speech, civic discourse and even public health. Personal-injury lawyers representing thousands of HIV patients, for example, say the data actually are on their side - and that they have a role in informing patients about the risks in medication.
"These Facebook ads provide a service to let them know there are options available for them now," said Robert Jenner, the co-lead counsel in the consolidated lawsuit.
For paid speech that isn't purchased by candidates, Facebook's fact-checkers do vet some dubious claims, and the company takes action against ads that could harm users in real life. Facebook also has specific policies around ads that touch on sensitive health issues such as vaccines. The social-networking giant began clamping down on anti-vaccine groups this February after months of criticism that it had allowed malicious actors to spread falsehoods about such preventative care.
For LGBT activists, the concern is that Facebook has become a conduit for false or misleading information about HIV prevention medication. They pointed to ads run by Facebook pages under names such as "Lawsuit Watch" and "Advocate Alliance Group" in October that encouraged people who may have "suffered kidney or bone damage after Truvada/PrEP" to reach out for possible "financial compensation."
"Almost immediately we started hearing reports from front-line PrEP prescribers, clinics and public health officials around the country, saying we're beginning to hear from potential clients that they're scared of trying Truvada because they're seeing all these ads on their Facebook and Instagram feeds," said Peter Staley, a long-time AIDS activist. "We realized we had a major problem on our hands."
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