Tougher Facebook political ad rules for 2019 elections
SA is one of many countries holding elections this year in which the social media group will attempt to curb fake news and propaganda
San Francisco — Facebook told Reuters on Tuesday that it would extend some of its political advertising rules and tools for curbing election interference to India, Nigeria, Ukraine and the EU before significant votes in the next few months. As the largest social media service in nearly every big country, Facebook, since 2016, has become a means for politicians and their adversaries to distribute fake news and other propaganda. Buying Facebook ads can widen the audience for such material, but some of those influence efforts may violate election rules and the company’s policies. Under pressure from authorities around the world, Facebook last year introduced several initiatives to increase oversight of political ads. Beginning on Wednesday in Nigeria, only advertisers located in the country will be able to run electoral ads, mirroring a policy unveiled during an Irish referendum last May, Katie Harbath, Facebook’s director of global politics and outreach, said in an interview. The same...
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