A new report from The New York Times’ Andrew Jacobs investigates how mask policies on technology platforms have allowed innovative masks, such as scrunchie masks, to flourish, while some manufacturers of high-filtration masks have had trouble selling their products.
Even if you are vaccinated, wearing a mask is still recommended. It seems like a problem, then, that many masks widely advertised on Facebook, Instagram and Amazon are innovative varieties that may be less safe than medical-grade N95s. Facebook and Amazon say they are following the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Facebook prevented mask vendors from advertising and selling masks to the masses at the beginning of the pandemic, when they were in short supply. The idea was to reserve N95s for medical professionals. This policy was eventually changed so that non-medical masks, facial covers and plastic protectors could be advertised. Some mask makers who make their own medical masks have told Jacobs that they can’t advertise on the platform, while fabric masks that can fold square pockets or turn into elastic bands are. Which may not be a problem if these salespeople arrive directly at hospitals. Many told Jacobs that they did not:
“I would be happy to sell my masks to healthcare professionals, but now hospitals are not exactly knocking on my door,” said Brian Wolin, chief executive of Protective Health Gear, a year-old company in Paterson, NJ, which has half a million N95 masks not sold at your factory.
Amazon’s policies pose a different problem, according to Jacobs’ report. Big manufacturers find it easier to reach customers on Amazon because the company buys its products in bulk to dispatch them from its own warehouses, writes Jacobs. But the company’s policy on mask sales and the algorithms that govern how they appear in surveys are difficult to navigate for smaller companies. Less secure alternatives, such as KN95 masks, appear readily in searches, while other manufacturers offering N95s at the Amazon store were buried by the algorithm, the report says.
In the end, Jacobs’ article illustrates a disappointing arrangement: online platforms are often the safest way to purchase PPE, but they do not always provide the safest product.
Check out Jacobs’s report on The New York Times’ Internet network location for the complete image.