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BFF-03
US-INTERNET-ADVERTISING
Google tightens political ads policy to thwart abuse
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Google on Wednesday updated how it
handles political ads as online platforms remain under pressure to avoid
being used to spread misleading information intended to influence voters.
The internet company said its rules already ban any advertiser, including
those with political messages, to lie. But it is making its policy more clear
and adding examples of how that prohibits content such as doctored or
manipulated images or video.
“It’s against our policies for any advertiser to make a false claim —
whether it’s a claim about the price of a chair or a claim that you can vote
by text message, that election day is postponed, or that a candidate has
died,” Google ads product management vice president Scott Spencer said in an
online post.
Examples of banned ad material included ads or links to information making
demonstrably false claims that could undermine voter trust or participation
in elections.
“Of course, we recognize that robust political dialogue is an important
part of democracy, and no one can sensibly adjudicate every political claim,
counterclaim, and insinuation,” Spencer said.
“So we expect that the number of political ads on which we take action will
be very limited – but we will continue to do so for clear violations.”
BSS/AFP/U/07:30 hrs