Technology

Facebook will label political propaganda and say who pays for it

With this, users will also be able to block the receipt of political ads and election propaganda on Facebook and Instagram

Facebook launches clear history tool
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  • To block advertisements, Facebook users must go to the Ads Preferences tab and choose which types of ads will no longer appear in the timeline;
  • To enable this same feature on Instagram, just go to Ad Topic Preferences.

From this Wednesday, Facebook starts to identify political ads, and also those responsible for them. With this, users will also be able to block the receipt of political ads and election propaganda on two of the platforms, Facebook itself and Instagram. Every ad will have a label, informing who paid it, how much the approximate investment was, and to whom the ad is directed.

READ ALSO: Fake news crackdown in Brazil opens a dangerous precedent for censorship

To block advertisements, Facebook users must go to the Ads Preferences tab and choose which types of ads will no longer appear in the timeline. Now there are options in this tab to block political and electoral ads that carry the “Pago Por” or “Electoral Propaganda” seal. To enable this same feature on Instagram, just go to Ad Topic Preferences.

READ ALSO: What is the proposed fake news regulation in Brazil and how does it affect social media in the country?

This same feature had been implemented in the United States in June. Ads that do not have the necessary information filled out and, consequently, the electoral advertising or political advertisement label will not circulate on the social network.

READ ALSO: WhatsApp allows forwarded messages to be fact-checked

Ads will be stored in the Facebook Ads Library. Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, the company has done this to prevent potential lawsuits and to conduct its own investigations.

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