US Election: Permission Granted for Political Ads from Candidates and Parties
(Reuters) – X, the social media company formerly known as Twitter, said on Tuesday it will now allow political advertising by candidates and political parties in the United States and expand its security and election teams ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Before billionaire Elon Musk bought the company in October, Twitter had banned all political ads worldwide since 2019. In January, Twitter lifted the ban and began allowing “cause-based ads” in the US that raise awareness about issues such as voter registration and said it planned to expand the political ads it would allow on the platform.
Allowing all political ads in the U.S. could help X boost revenue at a time when many advertisers have fled or reduced spending on the platform for fear of appearing next to inappropriate content.
In a blog post on Tuesday, X said it was growing its team to combat content manipulation and “emerging threats.”
The company said it would create a global advertising transparency center that would allow users to see what political ads are being promoted on X, adding that it would continue to ban political ads that spread false information or seek to undermine public confidence in elections.
The platform, like other social media companies, has long been criticized by researchers and lawmakers for not doing enough to prevent misleading or false content during major elections.
Since Musk’s acquisition, X in particular has faced questions about its readiness for the US presidential election after laying off thousands of employees, including those who worked on the trust and security team.
