Facebook said on Wednesday it would introduce tougher rules on who can make money from advertising on its network, responding to criticism that it makes it too easy for providers of fake news and sensational headlines to cash in.

With immediate effect, the world's largest social network will launch new standards to provide clearer guidance on which publishers are eligible to earn money on Facebook and with what content, senior vice-president for global marketing solutions Carolyn Everson said in a blog post.

These standards would apply to ad placements where context could matter, Everson wrote in the post.

Facebook has faced criticism from marketers that digital ads distributed to its more than two billion monthly active users were not reaching their intended audience, were not being adequately tracked and in some cases were being placed with content detrimental to the brands being promoted.

"We hear them loud and clear,"Everson wrote. "We take very seriously our responsibility to earn and maintain the trust of our advertiser partners and give them the confidence they need to invest in us."

Facebook will also step up its monitoring of hate speech, adding 3,000 content reviewers to nearly double the size of its existing team. - Reuters

Source: Khaleej Times