Facebook in a blog post today announced that the company is making some changes to its monetization for violence and tragedy. The social media giant said it will be changing its guidelines on who can earn money through Facebook, and what kinds of content are acceptable for monetization.
The company states that it is laying out a new set of guidelines on what violates its policies for monetization programs like Instant Articles and Branded Content. These rules go from a ban on deception of death, even if news is being spread for “educational” purposes.
There is however one part of the rules that may generate more controversy. Facebook states that it will ban anything that “promotes attacks on people or groups,” but that ban also extends to publishers promoting that content “in the context of news or awareness purposes.”
Facebook states that these rules are industry-standard and that the company will continue to consider context as time progresses. The company is heavily cracking down on fake news in particular. The company requires publishers and other users who earn money through Facebook must have “an authentic, established presence on Facebook.”