Facebook Extends Disclosures to Issue Ads

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As promised, Facebook has extended its electoral ad authorization requirements on Facebook and Instagram to issue ads as well.

That announcement came in advance of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's testimony last month before House and Senate committees looking into Russian election meddling among many other things.

Related: Twitter, Google Pushed to Adopt Political Ad Disclosures

Last fall, Facebook said that only authorized advertisers would be able to run electoral ads on Facebook or Instagram. On April 6, that was extended to "anyone that wants to show “issue ads."

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) tweeted:  

[embed]https://twitter.com/MarkWarner/status/993901635146526720[/embed]

The Honest Ads Act would clarify and toughen political ad disclosures for all edge providers by applying the same "who paid for this ad" disclosures required for radio and TV ads, though some argue even those are not tough enough, allowing for PACs and nonprofits to cover the tracks of the real funders.  

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.