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Twitter ban on political adverts prompts calls for Facebook to do same

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Twitter ban on political adverts prompts calls for Facebook to do same

Twitter’s announcement that it will ban all political advertising has reportedly prompted a wave of calls for Facebook to do the same.

In the hours since Twitter’s announcement, support has come from voices as diverse as the US-based campaign group Muslim Advocates, the Open Knowledge Foundation thinktank and the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, while others have called for Facebook to do same.

Madihha Ahussain, of Muslim Advocates, commended Dorsey for “acknowledging the serious problem of political misinformation and for not-so-subtly rebuking Facebook’s reckless political ad policy”.

The chief executive of the Open Knowledge Foundation, Catherine Stihler, said Twitter’s decision was “very welcome” and called on Facebook to act on “growing demands for greater transparency”. She said: “It is imperative that we do not allow disinformation to blight this year’s UK general election, forthcoming elections across Europe, and next year’s US presidential election.”

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The Twitter co-founder and chief executive, Jack Dorsey, has turned a weakness into a strength, cutting off a minuscule revenue stream in order to heap pressure on his main competitor, Facebook.

Hours ago, Twitter had formally announced a ban on political ads, while also taking a shot at Facebook for not making same decision

“It’s not credible for us to say: ‘We’re working hard to stop people from gaming our systems to spread misleading info, but if someone pays us to target and force people to see their political ad…well…they can say whatever they want!’” Dorsey wrote as part of a several tweets about the decision.

His statement is a clear shot at Facebook, which recently revealed it will not fact-check politicians’ ads or remove ads that contain false information — and a shot at the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, who has been defending that decision to users, to Congress, and to investors.

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