Facebook bans all cryptocurrency ads
Facebook has said it will block any advertising promoting cryptocurrency products and services.
The company said
it was open to emerging technologies but many companies were not acting
in "good faith" when extolling the virtues buying into virtual
currencies.
Recently, a wave of new currencies have emerged, seeking to piggyback Bitcoin's huge increase in value.
Facebook urged users to report any ads the company's security measures missed.
It admitted it would not always catch every ad for a cryptocurrency.
“We
want people to continue to discover and learn about new products and
services through Facebook ads without fear of scams or deception," wrote
Rob Leathern, product management director for Facebook Business.
"That
said, there are many companies who are advertising binary options, ICOs
and cryptocurrencies that are not currently operating in good faith.”
An
ICO - initial coin offering - encourages people to buy into new
cryptocurrencies before they launch in the hope they are one day worth a
lot more money as the coin becomes more popular.
Some companies
have used ICOs as a way to raise great sums of money, but without the
regulatory burden associated with raising cash though more traditional
investment channels.
Because of this, many ICOs have simply
disappeared, with little recourse for the "investor" - a loose term,
since those who pay into ICOs do not typically get a genuine stake in
the new company.
Deception worries
Using
Facebook ads to generate "buzz" around a new scheme could be a
particularly effective method, especially when paired with celebrity
endorsement. Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather was criticised last year for
promoting a crytocurrency that later became the target of a lawsuit
alleging deception. Mr Mayweather has not been accused personally.
Raising
money using an ICO has been banned in South Korea and China, and
regulators in other countries are warning against getting involved.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week said it had seized the assets of a firm that said it had raised $600m in its ICO.
Facebook said its new policy was "intentionally broad" and would evolve over time.
It
states: "Ads must not promote financial products and services that are
frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional
practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings, or
cryptocurrency."
Under the new policy, advertising using phrases
such as "New ICO! Buy tokens at a 15% discount NOW!" or "Use your
retirement funds to buy Bitcoin!" would not be permitted, Facebook said.
For
Facebook, the move is the latest attempt to protect the integrity of
its advertising platform, which over the past 12 months has been under
fire for enabling Russian propaganda and other inappropriate content.
BBC
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