Facebook says it won't accept any new political ads in the week leading up to the presidential election, one of several policies that CEO Mark Zuckerberg said will help ensure a fair election in November.
The new policies are also Facebook's latest attempt to respond to long-held criticisms over its handling of political content.
Facebook is already working to help people register to vote and to clarify how the election will work during a pandemic, Zuckerberg said.
To address those concerns, the company and its CEO outlined several changes Thursday in how Facebook handles ads, posts and other content.
If a post doesn't go quite that far but still seeks to use COVID-19 to suppress voter participation Facebook will attach a link to verified information about the coronavirus.
The policy restricting new political or issue ads in the final week of the campaign season does not mean Facebook users won't see any political ads in that time.
The company's plan also includes potential measures that could be taken to rein in candidates or campaign accounts on Facebook that claim victory before final election results are in.
In the weeks that followed, members of the public and Facebook's own employees complained about its handling of racist and hateful rhetoric, leading a number of large corporations to pause their advertising on Facebook.
Original article