Elections: Facebook Tightens Rules On Political Ads For Nigeria, Others

Facebook is tightening the rules of political advertising on its platform in countries with big elections holding in 2019. The countries include India, Nigeria, and Ukraine.

According to Reuters news agency, the company is taking such measures in order to counter interference with the domestic electoral process.

The source reported Katie Harbath, director of global policy and coverage, as saying that beginning on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 in Nigeria, only ads located in the country will be able to run electoral ads, mirroring a policy unveiled during an Irish referendum last May.

The same policy will take effect in Ukraine in February, the source noted, adding that Nigeria holds a presidential election on February 16, while Ukraine will follow on March 31, 2019

What comes to India, which parliamentary elections set for this spring, Facebook will place electoral ads in a searchable online library starting from next month, said Rob Leathern, a director of product management at the company.

“We’re learning from every country,” he said. “We know we’re not going to be perfect, but our goal is continuing, ongoing improvement.”

Facebook believes that holding the ads in a library for a total of seven years is a key part of fighting interference, he noted.