Facebook to ban anti-vaxx ads in new push against 'vaccine hoaxes'

Move comes as social media faces growing scrutiny over its role in promoting anti-vaccine propaganda

Facebook will no longer allow advertisements that include misinformation about vaccines as part of an effort to reduce the spread of "vaccine hoaxes" on the platform, the company announced on Thursday.

Facebook will also diminish the reach of groups and pages that spread anti-vaccine misinformation by reducing their ranking in search results and on the News Feed, removing them from autofill suggestions in the search bar, and removing them from recommendation features such as "Groups You Should Join".