Social media giant Facebook has announced that users will now be able to turn off political ads on the platform as the 2020 US presidential election approaches.
Facebook chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg wrote in USA Today that users of the social media network may now opt to turn political ads off. The company has faced massive criticism for allowing politicians to run ads that contain false information.
Political ads and social media platforms
In October 2019, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said the company will stop accepting political ads.
In a tweet, Jack Dorsey discussed the company’s stand on political ads, writing: "We’ve made the decision to stop all political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought."
Dorsey added: "A political message earns reach when people decide to follow an account or retweet. Paying for reach removes that decision, forcing highly optimized and targeted political messages on people. We believe this decision should not be compromised by money."
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg said: "In a democracy, I don’t think it’s right for private companies to censor politicians or the news." He then proceeded by saying that he will "continue" evaluating whether it is beneficial to allow political ads on Facebook, but that so far he concludes that allowing political advertising is the better choice.
He also pointed out that political advertising will only account for less than 0.5 percent of the company’s revenue in 2020, implying that despite criticism over Facebook’s policies, the company reaps very little financial benefits from the stance.
The new option
Discussing the option, Zuckerberg said: “For those of you who’ve already made up your minds and just want the election to be over, we hear you -- so we’re also introducing the ability to turn off seeing political ads.”
Both Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram, will allow users to turn off political adverts when they appear or block them using the settings features. Users may also report if they continue to see political ads even after they have blocked them.
The new feature will debut today, allowing Facebook users to turn off not only political ads but also electoral and social issue ads from candidates and other organisations that have the "Paid for" political disclaimer.
The tech firm aims to launch the feature to the entire US user base over the next few weeks while other countries will be able to access this by autumn.
Encouraging people to vote
Zuckerberg also encouraged people to register as voters in time for the election in November.
He pointed out: "Voting is voice. It’s the single most powerful expression of democracy, the best way to hold our leaders accountable, and how we address many of the issues our country is grappling with."
"I believe Facebook has a responsibility not just to prevent voter suppression -- which disproportionately targets people of color -- but to actively support well-informed voter engagement, registration, and turnout," he added.
As port of this initiative, the company will set up starting July a new information hub, called The Voting Information Center, which will be placed at the top of US users' Facebook and Instagram feeds.
