Facebook says it will tighten its rules for political ad spending ahead of the 2020 US elections, notably by requiring more information about who is paying for campaign messages.
The move is the latest by Facebook to crack down on efforts to deceive or manipulate users after the social network admitted lapses in the 2016 election.
While Facebook has already begun requiring political advertisers to provide identification to confirm who they are and where they are located, the new policy requires more information to show they are registered with the US government.
In this March 29, 2018, file photo, Facebook’s logo appears on screens at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York’s Times Square. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
This new verification can be done by submitting a tax identification number or proof that the group is registered with the Federal Election Commission.
“People should know who is trying to influence their vote and advertisers shouldn’t be able to cover up who is paying for ads,” a Facebook blog post says.
The new steps call for “strengthening the authorization process for US advertisers, showing people more information about each advertiser and updating our list of social issues” for advertisers.
Facebook says organizations that fail to submit the verification will see their ads “paused” by mid-October.
Facebook rolled out similar restrictions in Israel ahead of elections in April 2019.
— AFP
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