Facebook has announced the launch of a new transparency tool for electoral and issue ads in the US to coincide with new disclosure requirements for political advertising. Under the new rules, election-related and issue ads will need to carry information about who paid for them. As a result, the company said all such ads on Facebook and Instagram in the US will have a “Paid For By” label at the top, which can be clicked for more information about the cost of the ad and the demographic breakdown of the people who have seen it.
With a view to discouraging interference from foreign agents, Facebook is also requiring advertisers to verify their identity and location. The company first announced new rules governing ad disclosures last year after revelations that Russians had illegally placed ads on the platform during the 2016 US presidential election. In a blog, Facebook added that the new transparency tools will also give all users the ability to see information about the age, location, and gender of the audiences for political ads via a searchable archive that will house the ads for 7 years from the day they run.Twitter has also sharpened its rules regarding political ads. The company allows political campaigning but said some restriction will apply in certain countries, including Brazil, Morocco, Pakistan, South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia. In the US, advertisers who wish to target people with political campaigning ads will have to first file for certification.
