Facebook enables advertisers to target people interested in 'pseudoscience'

Facebook allowed advertisers to run adverts targeting people interested in 'pseudoscience', raising questions about the effectiveness and oversight of the company's misinformation policies. 

According to a investigation by The Markup, Facebook's ad portal listed more than 78 million people - an audience that could be targeted by advertisers, potentially spreading misinformation and disinformation.

Mark Zuckerberg had previously stated that 'one of [his] top priorities is making sure that [Facebook users] see accurate and authoritative information across all of [Facebook's] apps'.

Facebook subsequently removed the pseudoscience interest category.

The episode raised concerns about the platform’s role in the spread of misinformation. Furthermore, the reactive nature of Facebook’s response suggested a need for more proactive measures, including sgtronger oversight of its ad management system, to prevent such issues.