WASHINGTON:Facebook Inc is tightening its political ad rules in the United States, it saidon Wednesday, requiring new disclosures for its site and photo-sharing platformInstagram ahead of the US presidential election in November 2020. The socialmedia giant is introducing a "confirmed organization" label for USpolitical advertisers who show government-issued credentials to demonstratetheir legitimacy. All advertisers running ads on politics or social issues willalso have to post their contact information, even if they are not seeking theofficial label.
Advertisers mustcomply by mid-October or risk having their ads cut off. Under scrutiny fromregulators since Russia used social media platforms to meddle in the 2016 USpresidential election, Facebook has been rolling out ad transparency toolscountry by country since last year. Since May 2018, Facebook has requiredpolitical advertisers in the United States to put a "paid for by"disclaimer on their ads. But the company said some had used misleadingdisclaimers or tried to register as organizations which did not exist.
"In 2018 wedid see evidence of misuse in these disclaimers and so this is our effort tostrengthen the process," said Sarah Schiff, product manager at Facebook.Last year, Vice News journalists managed to place ads on behalf of figures andgroups including US Vice President Mike Pence and "Islamic State."Just last week, Facebook banned conservative news outlet The Epoch Times fromadvertising on the platform after it used different pages to push pro-Trumpads. Paid Facebook ads have become a major tool for political campaigns andother organizations to target voters.
President DonaldTrump's re-election campaign has spent about $9.6 million this year on ads onthe site, making him the top spender among 2020 candidates, according to BullyPulpit Interactive, a Democratic firm that tracks digital ad spending. Lastyear, Facebook began requiring political advertisers to submit a US mailingaddress and identity document. Under the new rules, they will also have tosupply a phone number, business email and website.
To get a"confirmed organization" label, advertisers must submit a FederalElection Commission ID number, tax-registered organization ID number, orgovernment website domain matching an official email. Facebook has continuouslyrevamped its policies around political advertising, which differ by country. In2018, it launched an online library of political ads, although the database hasbeen criticized by researchers for being poorly maintained and failing toprovide useful ad targeting information.- Reuters