X Lifts Ban On Political Ads
X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, has announced its decision to lift the ban on political advertising in the United States. This move is in preparation for the upcoming 2024 presidential election and is seen as a commitment to free speech by the company’s safety team. The decision was made to counteract various tactics that individuals use to target the electoral process, and X plans to hire the right personnel, update its policies, and evolve its product to address these challenges.
X will introduce specific policies for paid-for promoted political posts, with a focus on prohibiting the promotion of false or misleading content that aims to undermine public confidence in elections. The platform previously banned political advertising in 1019, with former CEO Jack Dorsey expressing concerns about the risks of internet advertising in politics. However, X began accepting political ads once again earlier this year, as long as they were “cause-based” and advocated for issues like climate awareness or voter registration.
The lifting of the ban on political advertising is an attempt by CEO Elon Musk to revitalize the company’s declining ad revenues, which have plummeted since he took over. To address concerns about ad placement next to problematic content, X is promising to expand its safety and elections teams. Furthermore, it will implement stringent screening processes to ensure only eligible groups and campaigns can advertise, and it will establish an ad transparency center, allowing users to review promoted political posts.
X also plans to continue growing its Community Notes feature, which provides users with additional context about posts. According to the company, people are 30% less likely to agree with the substance of a post after reading a Community Note and are less likely to reshare it. The safety team emphasizes that X should not determine the truthfulness of disputed information, but rather empower users to express their opinions and engage in open debate during elections, aligning with the company’s commitment to protecting freedom of expression.
While Stanford researchers have observed a decrease in clicks on misinformation websites in the lead-up to the 2020 election compared to 2016, there are ongoing concerns about the reliability of Twitter. These concerns have been amplified by the reinstatement of former President Donald Trump’s account on the platform in November last year. Trump’s recent post featuring his Fulton County mug shot captioned “Election interference” has only added to these worries.
