- Title: Facebook tightens rules for U.S. political advertisers ahead of 2020 election
- Date: 28th August 2019
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 28, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MULTIVARIATE MANAGING PARTNER, MAX WOLFF, SAYING: "Well, part of the reason Facebook does this is, it's an advertising platform, and we will spend about $3 billion on advertisements in the United States in the super cycle coming in 2020. So, part of saying 'you're a responsible place' that's addressing issues is competing for those $3 billion in ad revenues. Part of what has been quite nice for Facebook is that their ability to drop targeted ads into communities has become a major political weapon. And so they need to keep that revenue without seeming to be party to any misadventure. And so I think we're going to see a lot of concern and efforts from Facebook, as well as a lot of verbiage coming out from them saying, 'hey, you know, we're still a trustable place. If you're the general public, we're still a good place, if you're an advertiser, and we're not going to be the source of any of the controversy we were last time.'"
- Embargoed: 11th September 2019 18:34
- Keywords: Facebook U.S. political advertisers political ad rules in the United States U.S. presidential election in November 2020 government-issued credentials
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, + MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATIONS / INTERNET
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, + MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATIONS / INTERNET
- Country: USA
- Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA004AU4W03X
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Facebook is tightening its political ad rules in the United States, it said on Wednesday (August 28), requiring new disclosures for its site and photo-sharing platform Instagram ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November 2020.
The social media giant is introducing a "confirmed organization" label for U.S. political advertisers who show government-issued credentials to demonstrate their legitimacy.
All advertisers running ads on politics or social issues will also have to post their contact information, even if they are not seeking the official label.
Advertisers must comply by mid-October or risk having their ads cut off.
Under scrutiny from regulators since Russia used social media platforms to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook has been rolling out ad transparency tools country by country since last year.
Since May 2018, Facebook has required political advertisers in the United States to put a "paid for by" disclaimer on their ads. But the company said some had used misleading disclaimers or tried to register as organizations which did not exist.
Last year, Facebook began requiring political advertisers to submit a U.S. mailing address and identity document. Under the new rules, they will also have to supply a phone number, business email and website.
(Production: Aleksandra Michalska) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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