Pinterest said today that it will be the first central digital platform to implement a comprehensive disinformation policy to tackle false and misleading climate change claims on its site. According to the company’s recently modified disinformation standards, Pinterest will now be able to delete content that, among other things, rejects the existence of climate change consequences, denies human influence on climate change and denies climate change. It will also remove false and misleading content about climate change solutions that contradict scientific consensus, content that misrepresents scientific data by omission or cherry-picking to undermine trust in climate science and experts, and harmful and misleading content about public safety emergencies as natural disasters and extreme weather events.

The company noted the new Community guidelines don’t only apply to posts on the social network but also to advertisements on the website. Pinterest advertisers will have to follow the same rules. The Pinterest Advertising guidelines were updated to prohibit ads containing conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation related to climate change.  The business stated that “New Community Standards apply not just to postings but also to advertisements. They will also be subject to the same regulations.”

“Pinterest believes in establishing a trustworthy and truthful atmosphere for individuals who use our platform. This bold step extends our more extensive disinformation rules, which we initially published in 2017 to combat public health misinformation and have subsequently revised to meet new and emerging challenges as they arise. The enhanced climate misinformation policy is another step in Pinterest’s effort to battle misinformation and build a safe online space,” said Sarah Bromma, Pinterest’s head of Policy.

The business claims it drew on advice from partnered experts such as the Climate Disinformation Coalition and the Conscious Advertising Network to assist and educate its new policy decisions. According to Pinterest, the adjustment is in response to a surge in user searches for themes linked to sustainability and the environment. For example, over the last year, searches for ‘zero waste advice’ surged sixfold, searches for ‘recycling garments ideas’ increased fourfold, searches for ‘recycled home décor’ increased 95 percent, and searches for ‘zero waste lifestyle’ increased 64 percent.