Facebook is trying to contain the alleged damage caused by Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections in the U.S. In an extraordinary move, the company has announced a series of measures for future and retroactive use.
In a special announcement, Rob Goldman, VP of Ads at Facebook, announced a series of requirements for advertisers and page owners which enhance transparency and provide details on how pages and advertisers conduct their advertising efforts on the platform.
Starting in the next months, all active ads on a Page will start being visible to users. Visitors will be able to tap on a special “View Ads” button which will show the ads a page is currently running on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. This feature will be tested in Canada first, and will start rolling out in the U.S. sometime during the summer of 2018.
The timing is of significance; Midterm US elections are coming, and Facebook wants to create a barrier against other “agents,” advertising on its platform in order to influence election results.
It has now been confirmed, that a series of foreign pages ran divisive, inflammatory ads during 2016 campaign season. The extent of damage and influence is still unknown, but Facebook wants to ensure both users and federal agencies that such activities will not be tolerated anymore.
For this reason, Facebook will “begin building an archive of federal-election related ads” so that it can show both current and historical federal-election related advertising activities. Moreover, for each federal-election ad, Facebook will provide a series of data to further ensure transparency. This data will include a rolling, searchable, four-year ads archive, the total amounts spent, impressions delivered, and demographic information of the ads.
Last but not least, Facebook will ask political advertisers to verify their identity – both their entity and location. Once verified, a disclosure box will appear on the video, where viewers will be able to check who’s sponsoring the advertisement.
You can read the full announcement, here.
You might also like
More from Facebook
Meta Is Killing Its Messenger For Apple Watch App
Meta announced it will remove the Messenger for Apple Watch app on May 31 “After May 31st, Messenger won’t be available …
Facebook And Instagram Start Selling Blue Checks With Meta Verified
Meta Verified will give you a blue check badge on both Facebook and Instagram, along with other benefits for $12 …
Meta Brings Back #BuyBlack Friday For A Third Year
Meta is bringing back #BuyBlack Friday for a third consecutive year in North America. Meta emphasized the importance of the Holiday …
Facebook Is Giving You More Controls Over What You See On Your Feed
Facebook is introducing new "show more" and "show less" controls to let you adjust what you want to see on …
Meta Introduces Facebook Reels API, Offering An Option To ‘Share To Reels’
Meta has introduced the Facebook Reels API, a solution allowing developers to build a 'share to reels' option into their …
Facebook Gets Into Delivery With DoorDash Partnership
DoorDash is partnering with Meta to pilot Facebook Marketplace deliveries across multiple cities in the U.S. Drivers will only transport items …
Meta Rolls Out Horizon Worlds In France And Spain
Meta Horizon Worlds, the VR community and game, is now available in France and Spain.
Meta Refreshes Facebook Groups With New Features
Facebook Groups now have an updated invitation system to reduce admin workloads and limit sharing of misinformation.
Meta Offers Digital Security Course For Journalists And Human Rights Defenders
The Meta Journalism Project and the ICFJ have put together a self-paced 90-minute course and webinars to provide online safety …
