In an open letter to Facebook,TPAN has joined GLAAD and more than 50 organizations dedicated to LGBTQ rights, public health, and HIV/AIDS advocacy. At issue is the recent glut of online advertisements targeting LGBTQ Facebook and Instagram users that pose considerable harm to public health and perceptions about HIV prevention and health risks. Various advertisers have pushed factually inaccurate and misleading assertions about Truvada for PrEP, and the proliferation of such ads have lead numerous experts, advocacy organizations, and health care providers like TPAN to take an important stand for our clients and communities.
The letter, coordinated by GLAAD, demands that Facebook immediately remove misleading and predatory ads placed by various law firms, and it asks Facebook to commit to improved review and transparency about ads that target users with misleading information, as such misinformation can lead to individuals avoiding or discontinuing PrEP. As the letter sates, "This issue goes beyond misinformation, as it puts real people's lives in immient danger."
TPAN has been an expert in HIV care and prevention for more than three decades, providing thousands of individuals with evidence-based care, support, and HIV prevention services every year. As the publisher of POSITIVELY AWARE (PA), one of the country’s leading sources of health news and information about HIV treatment, care, and prevention, TPAN understands the importance of objective and science-based information. Our 100,000 readers of every issue of PA magazine have come to trust and rely on TPAN’s expertise and journalistic approach to health and HIV-related news.
TPAN is proud to join GLAAD and many of our national and Chicago-based peer organizations in calling for Facebook to put an end to these dangerous advertising campaigns that put individuals’ health and lives at risk.
To learn more about TPAN’s work and how we do MORE+ for our clients and community, visit www.tpan.com/more.