Facebook and Google Extend Bans on Political Ads -- Update

By Emily Glazer 

Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google plan to continue banning political ads on their platforms for the next several weeks to prevent confusion about election results, according to people familiar with the matter and an email reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook told advertisers in an email Wednesday it plans to continue its postelection ban on political ads for "another month." Google representatives have told some advertisers it is unlikely to lift its ban in November or December, the people said.

"While multiple sources have projected a presidential winner, we still believe it's important to help prevent confusion or abuse on our platform," according to the email Facebook sent Wednesday.

The tech companies initially indicated the bans would last a week after Election Day but could be extended.

The Associated Press and other major media outlets on Saturday declared that Joe Biden won the presidential election. President Donald Trump has yet to concede and has alleged voter fraud but his campaign hasn't provided evidence of widespread irregularities.

The extended ad bans come as Georgia prepares for a pair of Senate runoff races on Jan. 5. Those races will likely determine which party controls the U.S. Senate and whether President-elect Biden will have a Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress when he begins his administration.

Facebook told the advertisers it is continuing to "temporarily pause" all ads on social issues, electoral or political ads in the U.S. for another month, though it may lift the restriction sooner.

Facebook, in an updated company blog post Wednesday, said the temporary pause on political ads is continuing "as part of our ongoing efforts to protect the election." A Google spokeswoman said the company didn't have further information to share.

Republicans and Democrats have said these political ad bans favor incumbents or those with larger social-media followings, because they can blast out messages from their own accounts or pages instead of relying on advertisements.

In one runoff, Republican Sen. David Perdue, a former chief executive of Dollar General Corp., is facing Democrat Jon Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker who has never held political office. In the other, Democrat Raphael Warnock, pastor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King's Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, aims to oust Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Ms. Loeffler is a businesswoman appointed last year by Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Representatives for the campaigns of Messrs. Warnock and Ossoff said there should be an exemption for the Georgia runoffs so they can run ads on the digital platforms explaining how people can register to vote, sign up for absentee ballots and ensure their vote counts.

Representatives for the campaigns of Ms. Loeffler and Mr. Perdue didn't respond to requests for comment.

"Organic disinformation is the actual problem on these platforms, and continuing to ban ads is now actively harmful to organizations working to inform Georgia's diverse voters about the January runoffs," Scott Fairchild, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement.

A spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee said "the lack of transparency on when ads will resume and the timing of it could not be worse."

A political ad consultant working for one of the Republican campaigns in Georgia said the bans are frustrating but will also push campaigns to use other channels, like targeting audiences through online publishers.

Write to Emily Glazer at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 11, 2020 14:16 ET (19:16 GMT)

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