Facebook will BAN all political ads in the US after the polls close on November 3 in a bid 'to limit confusion and misinformation'
Facebook announced it will stop running political ads in the US once the polls close for the 2020 president election on November 3.
The temporary ban is, according to the firm, aimed at limiting confusion, misinformation and abuse of its services days following the event.
Along with ads, the social media giant says it is removing posts that call for people to tune into the polls that contain militaristic or intimidating language.
Facebook executives noted that the policies apply to everyone, including President Donald Trump and other politicians.
The efforts follow criticism the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company has faced regarding the firms lack of fact-checking political ads.
Facebook announced it will stop running political ads in the US once the polls close for the 2020 president election on November 3. The temporary ban is, according to the firm, aimed at limiting confusion, misinformation and abuse of its services days following the event
Facebook has kicked its political policing into gear over the past few months, with the hopes of avoiding the 2016 campaign fiasco.
'While ads are an important way to express voice, we plan to temporarily stop running all social issue, electoral, or political ads in the U.S. after the polls close on November 3, to reduce opportunities for confusion or abuse,' the company said in a blog post.
'We will notify advertisers when this policy is lifted.'
Sara Schiff, Facebook's product lead for political advertising, said on a call with reporters that the ban is expected to last at least one week after November 3.
Along with ads, the social media giant says it is removing posts that call for people to tune into the polls that contain militaristic or intimidating language
Facebook announced earlier this month that it planned to stop all new poltical ads from running a week before the election.
The sweeping set of actions - the biggest the company has announced to date - comes amid what is expected to be a contentious election between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Election Day is less than one month away.
'This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy,' Zuckerberg wrote in a statement earlier this month.
Both policies follow come as Trump has used social media countless times to make claims that voting by mail will lead to election fraud.
The president recently stated that he refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power in the event he loses the 2020 election.
Facebook executives noted that the policies apply to everyone, including President Donald Trump and other politicians
Facebook also warned that it will 'remove calls for people to engage in poll watching when those calls use militarized language or suggest that the goal is to intimidate, exert control, or display power over election officials or voters.'
Facebook Vice President of Content Policy Monika Bickert said the type of language would include words like 'army' or 'battle.'
Under the new policy, which is not retroactive, President Trump would not be able to encourage supporters to be unofficial poll watchers as part of an 'army for Trump,' as he said in a tweet this week.
Facebook said it has been preparing for this election since 2016, when its platform was used by Russian agents trying to intervene with the US political process.
It also noted that more than 200 elections have taken place worldwide since then.
Facebook is the second online powerhouse to instill a ban on advertising following the election.
Google made the announcement on September 25 in an email to its advertisers saying it will implement its sensitive event policy, which is rolled out during fast moving events in order to avoid confusion among the public.
Google made the announcement on September 25 in an email to its advertisers saying it will implement its sensitive event policy, which is rolled out during fast moving events in order to avoid confusion among the public
In the email to advertisers, Google states it will not allow ads 'referencing candidates, the election, or its outcome, given that an unprecedented amount of votes will be counted after election day this year.'
Google said the amount of time the block will stay in place has not been determined, as it will have to 'examine a number of factors before deciding to lift this policy.'
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