Parties warned on Facebook ads

By Joyetter Feagaimaali'i 21 March 2021, 5:00PM

The Office of the Electoral Commission (O.E.C.) has warned political parties seeking to advertise ahead of the 9 April election that they must meet proper authorisation processes. 

In a statement addressed to political parties’ social media managers issued on their official Facebook page, the O.E.C. issued a warning on Friday. 

“We appreciate that political parties are pursuing various ways of getting their message to the public,” the statement read. 

“For political parties or candidates pursuing ads on Facebook, please note that Facebook has very strict guidelines regarding political ads made through the Facebook paid-for advertising platform.”

The post comes a few weeks before the General Election.

The O.E.C. claims that they were directed by Facebook to implement the process.

“We have been advised by Facebook that any advertiser who wants to run ads about elections or politics (such as “get out the vote” campaigns, legislation, political figures or political parties) will be required to go through the authorization process,” the statement said.

“[They must] place “paid for by” disclaimers on ads and have their ads shown in the Ad Library for seven years.”

Under Facebook procedures, all advertisements are required to undergo a screening process to ensure their legitimacy.

Under the Facebook “ads about social issues, elections or politics” outlined measures to promote authenticity and legitimacy for anyone wishing to run ads about social issues, elections or politics.

The O.E.C. then directed prospective advertisers to a Facebook post outlining the social media giant’s authorisation process.

“Advertisers interested in placing these ads should complete the ad authorization process,” the statement said. 

“The process is available for advertisers that reside and are located in the targeted country at the time they run ads. 

“Documents for authorization must be issued by an advertiser’s local country or state and can’t be expired. In selected countries, a notarized form is also accepted.

“The process is available for advertisers that reside and are located in the targeted country at the time they run ads. Documents for authorization must be issued by an advertiser’s local country or state and can’t be expired. In selected countries, a notarized form is also accepted.”

Social media companies have begun fact-checking political advertisements and political content, following a storm of controversy that followed the 2016 election of U.S. President Donald Trump and his 2020 election loss. 

Twitter in recent months has placed fact-checking and warning labels on tweets from President Trump, unlike Facebook. 

Last June, Facebook started labeling all posts and ads about voting with links to authoritative information.

A representative for the social media company did not immediately answer questions on Saturday about whether they had contacted the Electoral Commissioner directly. 

 



By Joyetter Feagaimaali'i 21 March 2021, 5:00PM
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