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Facebook lifts political ad ban for Georgia only ahead of runoff

In this AFP file photo taken on October 29, 2020 a photo taken on October 21, 2020 shows the logo of the the American online social media and social networking service, Facebook and Twitter on a computer screen in Lille.

Social media giant Facebook says it is lifting a ban for political ads only for the state of Georgia, which is bracing for an upcoming run-0ff election.

“Starting tomorrow, December 16, we will begin allowing eligible advertisers who have completed the ads authorization process in the US to resume running ads about the Georgia runoff elections in the state of Georgia only,” Facebook said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ban is said to be temporary and part of an effort to tackle disinformation ahead of  the January 5 Senate and state runoffs in Georgia.

“As always, advertisers are required to follow our Advertising Policies and Community Standards,” said the company. “And as a reminder, we will reject ads that target locations outside of Georgia or that are not about the Georgia runoff elections for violating our Advertising Policies.

Google also lifted its own political ad ban last week.

“While we no longer consider the post-election period to be a sensitive event, we will still rigorously enforce our ad policies, which strictly prohibit demonstrably false information that could significantly undermine trust in elections or the democratic process, among other forms of abuse,” Mark Beatty, Google’s head of industry, wrote in an email to Politico Wednesday morning.

The Georgia runoff specifically matters because there are two seats up for grab that could determine which party —the Democratic or Republican— would hold majority in the US Senate.


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