Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ahead of his first-ever testimony before Congress next week, announced new disclosure measures Friday for all issue and other politically-oriented ads, a move the billionaire businessman says he hopes will “prevent interference” in future elections.
“We believe that when you visit a Page or see an ad on Facebook it should be clear who it’s coming from,” Zuckerberg said in an online post announcing that the social media giant will now require disclosure on any issue ads that run on its platform.
The company plans to vet anyone who wants to show the ads, Zuckerberg said, and users will now see on-screen indicators that what they are seeing is a “Political Ad” and just who is funding it.
Zuckerberg said issue ads are “ads about political topics being debated across the country. We’ll work with third parties to develop a list of key issues and will refine that list over time.”
A separate Facebook post said examples may include “pro-life/pro-choice,” Second Amendment ads or ads that express “support for public infrastructure, like new roads.”
The additional measures come after Facebook announced similar disclosure requirements in October for election-related ads from political candidates.
Instituting the new disclosure requirements, in particular, was something Facebook initially was not keen to do, especially keeping a database…
