Twitter on Wednesday said it is planning to ban all advertisements about political candidates, elections and hot-button policy issues such as abortion and immigration, a significant shift that comes in response to growing concerns that politicians are seizing on the vast reach of social media to deceive voters ahead of the 2020 election in the United States, the Washington Post reports.
Twitter to ban political ads
STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 31, ARTSAKHPRESS: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced the plans in a series of tweets, stressing that paying for political speech has the effect of “forcing highly optimized and targeted political messages on people.”
Twitter’s move is the opposite position of rival Facebook, whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently said : “In a democracy, I don’t think it’s right for private companies to censor politicians or the news”.
Twitter’s announcement covers ads intended to influence elections, including ballot measures, as well as those that address “issues of national importance.” The new rules will be applied globally, published by mid-November and take effect later in the month, Dorsey said.
“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,” Dorsey said.
The change drew a mixed reception, with some critics highlighting that it would not affect what users can tweet and share on their own.
