Facebook to block political ads claiming election victory until 'results have been declared'

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Zuckerberg addresses concerns about politically-divisive content on Facebook

Facebook is paying some of its app and Instagram users to deactivate their accounts, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg addresses concerns about political content on the site; Griff Jenkins reports.

Facebook will block President Trump, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and other political candidates from posting ads declaring victory in the Nov. 3 election until results have been finalized, a company spokesperson said Wednesday.

“Facebook will be rejecting political ads that claim victory before the results of the 2020 election have been declared,” Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.

FACEBOOK WILL BLOCK POLITICAL ADS IN FINAL WEEK BEFORE ELECTION

The social media giant clarified its policy weeks after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Sept. 3 post detailing efforts to crack down on misinformation ahead of the 2020 election. At the time, Zuckerberg said that Facebook would add a label to any post from a political candidate that declared victory before results were official, but did not specify how the policy would apply to ads.

Facebook said it would partner with Reuters and the National Election Pool “to provide authoritative information about election results” once polling has closed.

“We'll show this in the Voting Information Center so it's easily accessible, and we'll notify people proactively as results become available,” Zuckerberg said at the time.

Earlier this month, Facebook said it would not allow any new political or issue-related ads to run in the final week before the 2020 presidential election because there would not have enough time to properly fact-check the material. The platform will begin accepting ads that meet its requirements again on Nov. 4, the day after the election.

Historically, presidential election results have been available within hours after polls have closed. However, the widespread use of mail-in ballots and safety procedures related to the coronavirus pandemic have raised concerns that results could take longer to tabulate than usual this year.

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