Since the 2016 US presidential election, the vast influence of political advertising – particularly using misleading and false statements – has become a prominent subject of debate. Discussions about how to ensure that political advertising is fair, truthful and transparent have intensified in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
In October 2019, Twitter announced that it would ban all political advertising. Weeks later, Google announced its plans to ban microtargeting of political adverts.
However, Facebook has maintained that it will not remove or fact-check lies in lucrative political adverts, such as the false accusations made by the Trump campaign about Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden and his family in October last year. In an appearance before Congress last year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended this policy, arguing that it was a matter of right to free speech.
Despite criticism, Facebook has doubled down on its policy as it announces a raft...