Meta allows ads claiming 2020 U.S. election was rigged on Facebook, Instagram
Published: 14:16 15 Nov 2023 EST
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) will allow political ads claiming that the 2020 United States election was rigged to run on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.
According to a Wall Street Journal report citing sources with knowledge of the matter, the policy was introduced quietly in 2022 following the U.S. midterm elections.
Meta will allow political advertisers to say past elections were “rigged” or “stolen” but will still prevent them from questioning whether ongoing or future elections are legitimate.
The company made the decision based on “free speech considerations,” the WSJ reported.
Before the policy change, Republican candidates were unable to run ads that claimed the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump by Joe Biden.
Other social media platforms have updated their policies around political advertising in the lead-up to the upcoming 2024 U.S. election.
Twitter in August removed its ban on political ads and YouTube in June said it would stop removing content on its platform that claims the 2020 election or any other past U.S. elections were fraudulent.
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