witter), is bringing political ads back //
X (formerly Twitter) is lifting its ban in the US on political advertising.
Elon Musk’s platform banned political ads in 2019 while former CEO Jack Dorsey still led.
Dorsey explained his decision then: “This isn’t about freedom of expression. It’s about reaching. Paying to increase the reach and impact of political speech can have significant ramifications, which today’s democratic infrastructure is not prepared to handle. “It’s worth taking a step back to address.”
Musk reversed this decision less than one year after he took over the platform as part of “his commitment to free speech”.
Why we care. This could be good news for those who are part of an organization that is driven by a particular cause. If your brand is not related to politics, you may be concerned. You don’t want to have your products or services associated with a platform which spreads political messages that are in conflict with the principles and values of your business.
Why is this announcement now? It comes after X announced in January that it would relax its policy on cause-based advertisements in the US, hinting at a policy shift. This policy change is taking place slightly more than a year before the US Presidential Election.
What has X stated? In a press release, X’s spokesperson said:
- We will allow political advertising in line with our commitment to freedom of expression.
- Starting in the US, “we’ll continue to implement specific policies on paid-for promoted posts.” It will also prohibit the promotion of false and misleading content. This includes false or misleading information that is intended to undermine confidence in an electoral process.
- We’ll also create a global transparency center for advertising so that anyone can view the political posts promoted on X. In addition, we will implement robust screening processes in order to ensure that only groups and campaigns eligible to advertise are allowed to do so.
Deep dive. For more information, read X’s Safe Political Discourse Blog.
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