Facebook considering ban on political ads ahead of US Presidential Election 2020: Reports

Facebook is considering a complete ban on political advertisements in the run up to the forthcoming US Presidential Election that is due to take place in November 2020. 

As per international media reports date July 11, the social media giant hasn't finalised the move but it is being seen as an important step towards improving Facebook's reputation which took a downswing following explosive revelations concerning the last US Presidential Election which saw Donald Trump's triumph march to the White House in 2016.

Read: Facebook Audit Finds 'setbacks' On Civil Rights­

Facebook has been accused of overlooking serious privacy breaches, targetted advertising, and lack of fact-checking tools that fail to give the social media platform users verified information while compromising their personal data. As per reports, Russian trolls misused the social network to mislead people during the US Presidential Election of 2016.

As per reports, a political ad blackout could serve as a barrier against misleading election-related paid content. However, the social network managers are also concerned about not hurting pro-vote campaigns working towards voter sensitisation and awareness, the reports added. 

Read: Mark Zuckerberg On Advertisers Boycotting Facebook Ads: They Will Be Back 'soon Enough'

'Stop Hate for Profit' Campaign

At the moment, Facebook is facing an organised ad boycott movement spearheaded by civil rights groups. The 'Stop Hate for Profit' campaigners has accused Facebook of overlooking racist, violent, and misleading content on the social network. The campaign has seen support for notable brands like Puma, Starbucks, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Diageo, and more.

However, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has exuded confidence that the advertisers will be back “soon enough” on the social media platform and said that the company is not going to change its approach because of a threat to a “small percent” of revenue.

Read: Why Are Advertisers Leaving Facebook? What's The Stop Hate For Profit Campaign?

Read: 'Persecution': Brazil President Slams Facebook For Suspending Supporters' Accounts