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Chronicles

The story behind the story

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Facebook says that on Thursday it will lift the ban on political and social issue ads in the US, imposed after the November election

FB says advertisers who have completed the ad authorization process may submit new ads that require a “Paid for by” disclaimer or edit existing, eligible ads to turn them back on. https://www.axios.com/... Lachlan Markay / @lachlan : Well that was quick! https://twitter.com/... Sara Fischer / @sarafischer : 🚨🚨🚨 Facebook to finally lift political ad ban put in November Facebook says advertisers who have completed the ad authorization process may submit new ads that require a “Paid for by” disclaimer or edit existing, eligible ads to turn them back on. https://www.axios.com/... See also Mediagazer

Axios Sara Fischer

Context & Ripple Effects

Facebook’s reopening follows its temporary Georgia exception, where a study of users’ feeds found partisan content displacing traditional news sites after political advertising resumed. Google had already told partners it would end its post-riot political-ad ban, leaving Facebook’s restriction as an outlier among the supplied coverage.

The move returns US political and issue advertising through Facebook’s existing authorization and “Paid for by” disclosure process, an approach Facebook had previously applied to EU election and issue ads.

First-order effects

  • US advertisers that have completed Facebook’s authorization process can submit new political or social-issue ads and reactivate eligible paused campaigns.
  • Facebook restores a paid distribution channel for political and issue messages while retaining advertiser authorization and sponsor-disclosure requirements.

Second-order effects

  • Political advertisers regain Facebook inventory at the same time Google reopens political advertising, reducing the need to route spending around platform-wide restrictions.
  • Facebook feed publishers face renewed competition for attention from partisan paid content; the Georgia feed study indicates traditional news sites were crowded out when political advertising returned.

Third-order effects

  • Temporary election- and crisis-related ad freezes are becoming a platform-control mechanism rather than a permanent retreat from political advertising, with verified reopening as the exit path.
  • If this pattern persists, authorization and sponsor labels become the operating boundary through which major platforms manage political-ad access and accountability.

The trend: Major ad platforms are moving toward temporary political-ad shutdowns followed by disclosure- and authorization-gated reopening.

Discussion

  • @quinnypig Corey Quinn on x
    Great job, shitheads. Be sure to remember this when you tell your grandkids about your life. I'm sure they'll be so very, very proud of you. https://twitter.com/...
  • @alemannoeu Alberto Alemanno on x
    Facebook lifts ban on US political advertising, amid the pressure of shareholders, and political parties (!) This back-to-business proves how ‘essential’ facebook's structure has become for political discourse ⁦@MsHannahMurphy⁩ https://giftarticle.ft.com/...
  • @mad2me Madeline V. Twomey on x
    FB resuming political ads is surprising news, and I know for many, welcome - but I challenge you think beyond business as usual. Our industry is too reliant on the one platform for too much: raising $, reaching voters. And as we've seen - it can be taken away in an instant (1/3)
  • @sfist @sfist on x
    The indefinite ban that Facebook placed on political advertising right after the November election has been lifted, calling to question whether a) Facebook really needs this money, and b) the country is in the clear when it comes to misinformation. https://sfist.com/...
  • @agdigitalus @agdigitalus on x
    Pausing political ads was a harmful decision that disproportionately impacted down-ballot campaigns and first-time candidates. Let's get to work! https://twitter.com/...
  • @digiphile Alex Howard on x
    Hey, @Facebook? Given the significance of March 4 to QAnon, why turn on political ads again tomorrow? https://www.nytimes.com/... Did you put @verified “superspreaders” of lies who violate civic integrity policy in quarantines, @andymstone, or did Joel Kaplan protect far-right pa…
  • @rmac18 @rmac18 on x
    Here is what Facebook's search bar autofills with when you type in the word “March”. You really have to wonder if the people who make decisions at the company know what happens on their platform. https://twitter.com/...
  • @willoremus Will Oremus on x
    People are understandably going to scream about Facebook restoring political ads, but I think it's the right move, given the realistic alternatives. I wrote about the problem with major platforms banning political ads when Twitter did it last fall: https://onezero.medium.com/... …
  • @stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
    Tomorrow also happens to be the day many Trump supporters believe Trump will be inaugurated for a second term. Capitol security already increased. https://twitter.com/...
  • @rmac18 @rmac18 on x
    they could have gone with another day? https://twitter.com/...
  • @sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
    More on @Facebook lifting political ad ban imposed after November election — FB says advertisers who have completed the ad authorization process may submit new ads that require a “Paid for by” disclaimer or edit existing, eligible ads to turn them back on. https://www.axios.com/.…
  • @lachlan Lachlan Markay on x
    Well that was quick! https://twitter.com/...
  • @sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
    🚨🚨🚨 Facebook to finally lift political ad ban put in November Facebook says advertisers who have completed the ad authorization process may submit new ads that require a “Paid for by” disclaimer or edit existing, eligible ads to turn them back on. https://www.axios.com/...