Facebook Eases Ban on Cryptocurrency Ads

Facebook Eases Ban on Cryptocurrency Ads
Highlights
  • Facebook banned all ads related to cryptocurrencies five months ago
  • Companies will now need to offer proof they have licences
  • Facebook is keeping prohibition on ICOs to raise assets
Advertisement

Facebook said Tuesday it was easing a ban on ads for cryptocurrencies while keeping a prohibition on initial coin offerings to raise assets.

The move comes five months after the leading social network said it was banning all ads related to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as a way to curb scams.

To place ads on Facebook for cryptocurrencies, companies will need to be pre-approved and offer proof they have licences or are traded on a public exchange, the company said.

"Given these restrictions, not everyone who wants to advertise will be able to do so," Facebook product management director Rob Leathern said in a statement.

"But we'll listen to feedback, look at how well this policy works and continue to study this technology so that, if necessary, we can revise it over time.

Facebook and other online platforms began cracking down on ads for crypto-related businesses amid concerns over fraud in the burgeoning and largely unregulated sector where currencies can see huge swings.

Fraud is common in the world of red-hot digital currencies such as Bitcoin.

Earlier this year, the US Securities and Exchange Commission shut down an initial coin offering by a Texas company called AriseBank.

AriseBank was accused of relying on celebrity endorsers such as boxer Evander Holyfield and social media to cheat investors out of $600 million (roughly Rs. 4,100 crores) of its goal of $1 billion (roughly Rs. 6,850 crores) for a currency it called "AriseCoin."

Initial coin offerings - used by some startups to raise billions of dollars - still won't be able to advertise on Facebook.

Twitter, Google, and Snapchat have announced similar bans.

The British government early this year called for global regulation of controversial virtual currencies like Bitcoin.

Bitcoin and similar forms of virtual cash are independent of governments and banks and use blockchain technology, where encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers.

The virtual currency is not regulated by any central bank but is instead overseen by a community of users who try to guard against counterfeiting.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

OnePlus 6 Midnight Black 8GB RAM, 256GB Storage Variant Launched in India: Price, Release Date
Facebook, Google 'Manipulate' Users to Share Data Despite EU Law: Study
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »