Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Twitter Bans All Political Advertisements
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
October 30, 2019

Share

SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter is banning all political advertising from its service, saying social media companies give advertisers an unfair advantage in proliferating highly targeted, misleading messages.
“While internet advertising is incredibly powerful and very effective for commercial advertisers, that power brings significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions,” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Wednesday in a series of tweets announcing the new policy.


Facebook has taken fire since it disclosed earlier in October that it will not fact-check ads by politicians or their campaigns, which could allow them to lie freely. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Congress last week that politicians have the right to free speech on Facebook.
The issue suddenly arose in September when Twitter, along with Facebook and Google, refused to remove a misleading video ad from President Donald Trump’s campaign that targeted former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic presidential candidate.
In response, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another presidential hopeful, ran her own ad on Facebook taking aim at Zuckerberg. The ad falsely claimed that Zuckerberg endorsed President Donald Trump for re-election, acknowledging the deliberate falsehood as necessary to make a point.
Critics have called on Facebook to ban all political ads. These include CNN chief Jeff Zucker, who recently called the company’s policy of allowing lies “absolutely ludicrous” and advised the social media giant to sit out the 2020 election until it can figure out something better.

Photo of Twitter sign
FILE – This July 9, 2019, file photo shows a sign outside of the Twitter office building in San Francisco. Twitter is banning all political advertising from its service, saying social media companies give advertisers an unfair advantage in proliferating highly targeted, misleading messages. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Twitter’s Policy Will Start on Nov. 22

Google and Facebook did not have immediate comments on Twitter’s policy change.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, another Democratic 2020 contender, retweeted Dorsey’s announcement, adding the comment, “Good. Your turn, Facebook.”

“This is about paying for reach. And paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle. It’s worth stepping back in order to address.” — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey
Dorsey said the company is recognizing that advertising on social media offers an unfair level of targeting compared to other mediums. It is not about free expression, he asserted.
“This is about paying for reach. And paying to increase the reach of political speech has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle,” he tweeted. “It’s worth stepping back in order to address.”
Twitter currently only allows certified campaigns and organizations to run political ads for candidates and issues. The latter tend to advocate on broader issues such as climate change, abortion rights and immigration.
The company said it will make some exceptions, such as allowing ads that encourage voter turnout. It will describe those in a detailed policy it plans to release on Nov. 15.
Federal campaigns are expected to spend the majority of advertising dollars on broadcast and cable channels during the 2020 election, according to advertising research firm Kantar, and about 20% of the total $6 billion in spending on digital ads.
Twitter’s policy will start on Nov. 22.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

DON'T MISS

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

DON'T MISS

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

DON'T MISS

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

DON'T MISS

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

DON'T MISS

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

DON'T MISS

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

DON'T MISS

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

DON'T MISS

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

DON'T MISS

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

UP NEXT

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

UP NEXT

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

UP NEXT

Doctors Were Preparing to Remove Their Organs. Then They Woke Up.

UP NEXT

FDA’s AI Assistant ‘Elsa’ Fails Its First Day on the Job

UP NEXT

Newsom Promises Funding to Jump-Start ‘Science of Reading’

UP NEXT

Rancho Cucamonga Prepares for First US Bullet Train Hub in 2028

UP NEXT

8 Ways Musk and Trump Could Inflict Pain on Each Other

UP NEXT

D-Day Veterans Return to Normandy to Mark 81st Anniversary of Landings

UP NEXT

Lambda Legal, a Nonprofit Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights, Exceeded Fundraising Goal by $105M

UP NEXT

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

6 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

6 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

8 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

8 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

8 hours ago

Valley Foster Care Agencies Are Facing an Insurance Crisis and Possible Closure

8 hours ago

World’s Largest Almond Processor Will Shutter Sacramento Plant. 600 Workers Impacted

22 hours ago

Trump Eyes Major Funding Cuts for California, Including All Public Universities

23 hours ago

Farming Regulation Costs Rise 1,300% Since 2006: Cal Poly

23 hours ago

Southern California Air Regulators Weigh a Plan to Phase Out Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters

24 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

PARIS — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner has not yet dropped a set in his bid to win the French Open for the first time. Defending champion Carlos A...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Sinner Bids for His First French Open Title Against Defending Champion Alcaraz

6 hours ago

Coco Gauff Defeats Top-Ranked Aryna Sabalenka in 3 Sets to Win Her First French Open Title

6 hours ago

Texas Beats Texas Tech in 3rd Game of WCWS to Win Its 1st National Championship

6 hours ago

Conforto Comes Through, Dodgers Rally in 8th for Victory Abetted by Mets Mishap

6 hours ago

Giants Beat the Slumping Braves in 10 Innings on a Wild Pitch

9 hours ago

Trans Troops, Facing a Deadline, Opt to Stay and Fight the Ban

9 hours ago

Can This 14-Year-Old Football Star Become a High School Millionaire?

9 hours ago

Trump EPA Moves to Roll Back Rules Projected to Save Billions of Dollars and Thousands of Lives

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend