Facebook Extends Ban On Political Ads

By Toby Tunwase

The Facebook ban on politics and electoral ads seemed like a new development we would forget within weeks, but no, it isn’t. Facebook has just extended the ‘temporary’ ban, and it is for a good reason.

According to an initial post on the company’s blog, Facebook saw a need to protect the recently concluded U.S election; hence, the ban on political ads.

Image credit: Pexels

 Now, you may ask—was the political-ads restriction in any way helpful to the protection of the election? Well, to an extent, it was.

It is not rare to find voters promote their preferred candidates for an election on social media. In fact, most people today who are well into politics and, perhaps, die-hard supporters of a particular political party may go as far as promoting posts that appear totally offensive to opposing parties. But to curb the emergence of violence and ensure that the social media space does not become another ground for political ‘war,’ a ban was necessary.

Image credit:  Pexels

Voters, of course, were disappointed in Facebook for the recent development,’ and a lot of persons had expected that the ban wouldn’t last for too long. But as the company’s director of project management, Rob Leathern, had explained, they lacked the technical ability to enable ads that are totally political—and that was probably in the short term.

Facebook, like a host of other social media platforms out there, seeks to satisfy users and ensure that they have the best online experience they desire. But when it comes to the issue of politics and political interest, peace is a priority.