The Twitter platform is banning political advertising on their network. The day before the decision, the European Commission sent a message to Google, Twitter and Facebook about the urgent steps needed to be taken n order to prevent the spread of misinformation through social networks. But will everyone understand the damage caused by the manipulative virus that is dangerously attacking on a global scale?
Twitter broke the ice. It made the decision to ban political advertising. The brave move was made known to the public on 30.10.2019 by the Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. He announced on his platform that Twitter will ban political ads. In his explanation to the public, Dorsey said the decision was based on the strong risks the policy has taken over the Internet.
“We have decided to completely stop the political advertising on Twitter globally. We believe that political messages should be deserved, not bought,” Dorsey said in his addressing. He adds: “Internet advertising is powerful and extremely effective for commercial advertisers, but it also carries significant policy risks.”
The reasons for this decision are explained in detail in a wide range of tweets.
Social networks have often faced widespread criticism for their manipulation and political advertising. Just a day before the decision to ban political ads on Twitter, on 29.10.2019, the European Commission has warned Google, Facebook and Twitter platforms that they must take serious steps by the end of the year in order to reduce the spread of misinformation posted through their networks.
Not all social platforms are unanimous in their decision to prevent the spread of political manipulation through their networks.
The Facebook platform has taken a different step. They have rejected the ban on political advertising. The decision was publicly shared by the first person of Facebook. His attitude provoked strong reactions. Facebook has been the subject of criticism before. Especially from colleagues in the same business. Some politicians have even taken a test to indicate how they are being manipulated via Facebook. Senator Elizabeth Warren even described it in order to accurately indicate the manipulative moment. 250 Facebook employees also responded with a letter.
Reports of the ban have divided political rivals in the United States ahead of next year’s election. Some are welcoming the decision, others view it as an attempt to silence Donald Trump.
The ban on political advertising on Twitter will take effect on 22.11.2019.
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This project was funded in part through a U.S. Embassy grant. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed herein are those of the implementers/authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Government.
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