This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On October 30, 2019, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that the platform would ban all political advertisements from next month, in a move aimed at preventing the spread of misleading information and the influence of money in politics.
The ban, which will take effect on November 22, 2019, across the globe, is a significant move by the social media giant, which has faced criticism over the role of online advertising in shaping public opinion.
According to Dorsey, the decision to ban political ads was motivated by the belief that 'political message reach should be earned, not bought.' He argued that paying for reach removes the decision-making power from users, forcing them to be exposed to highly optimized and targeted political messages.
Twitter's move has put Facebook on the spotlight, with the Mark Zuckerberg-led company facing backlash over its decision to exempt politicians from fact-checking by third parties. U.S. Senator Mark Warner had urged Zuckerberg to reconsider the decision, citing concerns over the spread of misinformation.
While Twitter's ban on political ads is a significant step towards preventing the spread of misinformation, it remains to be seen how effective it will be in achieving its goals. As Jason Kint, a media executive, noted, 'candidates and organizations will still be able to communicate on the platforms. They just won't be able to run targeted advertising to accelerate the velocity of the reach.'
