Facebook shuts down ads in Thailand as country mourns king's death

Facebook has an estimated 37 million Thai users who tend to post three times more than an average user

Facebook has blocked all ads in Thailand in a show of respect for Thailand's fallen leader, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died Thursday at the age of 88.

"Thailand is in a period of mourning due to the death of the King and removal of ads is a cultural custom," a spokesperson wrote in a blog post. "We don't yet know the duration of the mourning period. We'll keep you posted of any additional details as they become available."

Google applies monochrome theme in remembrance of the late Thai King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died Thursday at the age of 88 PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

A funeral for Adulyadej — who was the world's longest-reigning monarch — drew thousands of grieving citizens in the Thai capital of Bangkok on Friday. Many Thai citizens are wearing only dark colors this week in remembrance while several websites have applied a monochrome theme.

Facebook boasts an estimated 37 million Thai users who tend to post three times more frequently than the average user worldwide, according to Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg. According to research firm Emarketer, the yearly amount spent on Facebook ad stands at $81.7 million

Facebook attempts to show tailored ads that fit country-specific cultural norms and adjust posts for different bandwidth speeds.

“The ability to tell a powerful story can connect people despite geographic, linguistic, technological and even cultural boundaries," Melissa Oppenheim, who heads up the programme that handles such considerations, said in an interview.

In this particular case, Facebook's heightened sensitivity toward its users' various cultures means cutting off ads altogether.

However, Facebook’s cultural emphasis hasn’t always worked. In India, human rights advocates argued that its "safety check" feature, which lets users notify friends and family of their safety status in an event of a disaster was heavily biased toward western countries and didn’t cover most security events in non-western countries.

This article originally appeared on Mashable