Facebook has encountered serious backlash for the way it’s chosen to go about dealing with political ads – in some cases allowing ones that purposefully told blatant lies. Zuckerberg has fallen back on the ‘free speech’ argument, implying it’s not the company’s role to dictate which ads run on the platform. Many aren’t buying it.
Since recent attacks on Facebook, Snapchat has verified it will fact-checks ads while Google imposed strict limits on ad targeting, and Twitter banned political ads altogether.
Now it appears Facebook is finally relenting. Well, a little bit anyway. According to a Wall Street Journal report, sources within the company say the social network is considering increasing the minimum ad target size from just 100 people to a few thousand.
This may not seem like much, but it could have a significant effect on how precisely ads can target specific demographics, theoretically limiting their effectiveness. The company is reportedly seeking feedback from major Republican and Democratic ad buyers about the new minimum, as well as other ways to change its policy. Unsurprisingly, the discussions picked up after Zuckerberg testified in front of Congress in October.
When asked for comment, a Facebook spokesperson simply told the WSJ “as we’ve said, we are looking at different ways we might refine our approach to political ads.” With the 2020 primaries coming up in a few months, that refinement can’t come soon enough.
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