Facebook Fails to Enforce Ad Policies, Allows Misleading Ads to Swing-State Voters

Ahead of the US Election Day, Facebook has been accused of failing to enforce its own ad policies, allowing hundreds of misleading ads from political advertisers to target swing-state voters. An analysis by the activist group Avaaz found that pro-Republican super PAC America First Action and the Democratic-leaning super PAC Stop Republicans have collectively been viewed over 10 million times, with some ads remaining active on the platform despite violating Facebook's policies on misinformation. The ads, largely targeting voters in Florida, Wisconsin, and other key states, contain false or misleading information about Joe Biden's tax and immigration proposals, as well as the US Postal Service.

Key Takeaways:

• America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC with ties to the White House, spent over $287,000 on some 450 ads containing false or misleading claims about Biden's tax and immigration proposals, with 9 million viewers.
• Stop Republicans, a Democratic-leaning super PAC, spent $45,000 on 30 ads with misleading claims about the USPS, with 1 million ad impressions.
• The Republican super-PAC spent more money spreading false claims as a proportion of its overall Facebook spend, with nearly $2.6 million on 11,000 political Facebook ads since May.
• Facebook exempts political candidates and their own campaigns from its policy on misinformation, but super PACs are subject to the rules and can face restrictions if they repeatedly share false information.
• Avaaz's research found that despite the rules, the super PACs have not faced significant repercussions, and users who engaged with the ads were not notified that they were exposed to misleading content.
• America First Action plans to spend $22 million on digital and TV ads in swing states in the run-up to the election, in addition to an $18 million ad blitz it announced in August.

Statistics:

• The ads analyzed by Avaaz were viewed over 10 million times.
• America First Action spent $287,500 on misleading ads, which represents 11% of its total spend on Facebook since May.
• Stop Republicans spent $45,000 on 30 ads with misleading claims about the USPS, with 1 million ad impressions.
• Facebook's fact-checking partners debunked over 40 of the ads analyzed by Avaaz.

Sources:

• Avaaz study (no date)
• CNN Fact Check (no date)
• USA Today (no date)
• Progressive Turnout Project (no date)
• Facebook Advertising Policies (no date)
• Reuters (no date)