Facebook to trial new ad control tools to tackle harmful content
Facebook is to build and trial new tools that will give brands greater control over what content appears alongside their ads.
The social media platform said its new advertiser topic exclusion controls will initially be trialled with a small group of advertisers.
The new tools mark efforts by Facebook to reassure advertisers amid concerns their campaigns were being displayed next to harmful material that could damage their brand.
Last year a string of major brands including Coca Cola and Starbucks boycotted the site, complaining it had not done enough to crack down on hate speech following the death of George Floyd in police custody.
In September Facebook, alongside Youtube and Twitter, struck a deal with some of the world’s largest advertisers to improve online brand safety.
The fresh agreement sets out 11 categories of harmful material that should be removed from platforms, ranging from drug-taking to pornography.
In a blog post today Facebook said its new measures would help address brands’ concerns about their adverts appearing in its news feed alongside certain types of content.
It will allow advertisers to select categories of material it does not want to be associated with, such as crime and tragedy.