Not all addiction treatment centers meet basic quality standards for healthcare facilities, Facebook said in an Aug. 9 statement announcing its policy change. These centers tend to “keep people in a cycle of addiction with unproven treatment methods” and “take part in insurance scams,” despite advertising addiction treatment services.
Facebook said it is partnering with third-party certification service LegitScript to limit traffic the social network drives toward these organizations.
Under the partnership, Facebook will require addiction treatment centers to obtain certification from LegitScript — which will review their background, qualifications and compliance with state licensing regulations — prior to advertising to U.S. consumers on Facebook or its companies, such as Instagram and Messenger.
“People facing addiction … should be able to find support without encountering scams or predatory behavior,” Facebook’s statement reads. “We’re committed to making Facebook a place where people can find resources they need, and we’ll continue to review our policies in an effort to limit bad actors.”
Google made a similar move in September 2017, cutting advertisements tethered to searches for “drug rehab” or “alcohol treatment centers.” At the time, Google said it would lift the restriction if it found a better way to curb advertisements for centers that offer misleading addiction treatment services.
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