According to reports, Facebook said it has stopped paying commissions to its employees who are selling political ads.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, Facebook once saw political ads as a “growth area.” But now, as some former company employees explain, they’re more of a “headache.” After debating whether to ban political ads (and deciding against it), Facebook has instead “stopped paying commissions to employees who sell political ads.”
As the Wall Street Journal reports, “Facebook’s new approach to political ad sales is designed to eliminate incentives for employees to push a more-is-better strategy with campaigns.” While the ads are set up by advertisers themselves, Facebook staff is there to help them if something doesn’t work properly.
The difference is – as Katie Harbath, Facebook’s global elections public policy director explains – that sales employees are now “no longer paid based on reaching or exceeding goals related to ads purchased promoting either a candidate or politically tinged messages in the U.S. and abroad.”
To cover the difference, Facebook is increasing the base salaries of these employees.
While this is only a small move from the Social Network, it is part of its wider efforts to reduce political manipulation attributed to the use of its platform and its advertising capabilities.
How much of a difference it will make is another story.
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