Twitter lifts coronavirus ad ban

Twitter will now allow advertising containing references to the coronavirus under certain use cases, according to a note from Twitter sent to clients on Friday that was obtained and confirmed by Axios.

Why it matters: The news comes one day after Google lifted its advertising ban on coronavirus-related terms. Groups have argued against the policy, as it restricts them from running messages about relief efforts or policies on the virus.

• Twitter and Google banned coronavirus-related ads in an effort to curb misinformation and stop some bad actors from trying to profit off of the crisis.

Details: According to the note, advertising containing implicit or explicit reference to COVID-19 will now be allowed in ad campaigns about adjustments to business practices and/or models in response to COVID-19 and/or ad campaigns about support for customers and employees related to COVID-19.

• The mention of vaccines, treatments and test kits is permitted, only in the form of information from news publishers which have been exempted under the Political Ads Content policy.
• Examples of the types of ad campaigns that would be considered appropriate under the new rules include instances like travel and hospitality companies announcing changes to services, financial entities’ responses to financial market changes, support for customers and employees related to the crisis, and more.

Yes, but: According to the note, some COVID-19-specific restrictions apply. Items that are banned include:

• Distasteful mentions or references to COVID-19 (or variations of the term)
• Sensational content or content likely to incite panic
• Inflated prices of products related to COVID-19
• The promotion of certain products related to COVID-19 is prohibited, like face masks and alcohol hand sanitizers

Go deeper: Google to lift coronavirus ad ban