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posted by Fnord666 on Monday November 25 2019, @01:16PM   Printer-friendly
from the a-step-in-the-right-direction dept.

Google bans microtargeting and "false claims" in political ads

The country's largest digital advertising platform is trying to take a stand heading into the 2020 election this week, as it both limits the targeting of political ads and warns would-be political advertisers about making false claims.

On Wednesday, Google made an announcement "clarifying" its advertising policy for political ads, making it clear that outright lies are theoretically not welcome. "Whether you're running for office or selling office furniture, we apply the same ads policies to everyone; there are no carve-outs," the company said, adding:

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.

To make this more explicit, we're clarifying our ads policies and adding examples to show how our policies prohibit things like "deep fakes" (doctored and manipulated media), misleading claims about the census process, and ads or destinations making demonstrably false claims that could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process.

That said, the company adds, they can't judge "every political claim, counterclaim, and insinuation," so they expect the number of ads they block to be low.

Those ads will also have to be aimed at a comparatively broad segment of the population, Google said, to the dismay of campaigns on both the left and the right. While the company will allow political ads to be targeted to users based on age, gender, and postal code, it will not allow more narrow "microtargeting" to highly segmented, granular audiences such as those based on public voter records or political affiliation.

Back to you, Facebook


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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 25 2019, @02:30PM (7 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 25 2019, @02:30PM (#924516) Journal

    I have already accepted the dismal reality that agent orange will continue to win every election.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @02:39PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @02:39PM (#924522)

    Donald Trump for 5 more years until 2024, then Ivana Trump 2024-2032. Next Donald Trump Jr. in 2032-2040, and Eric Trump in 2040-2048. Finally Barron Trump in 2048-2056.

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 25 2019, @03:13PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 25 2019, @03:13PM (#924538) Journal

      Eric Trump in 2040-2048.

      Sorry Eric. 2040 is after 2038.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @04:23PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @04:23PM (#924560)

      That's cold! Show Ivanka and Jared some love, motherfucker!

      And if you're going to get Ivana [wikipedia.org] in on it, why not Marla [wikipedia.org] too?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @07:33PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @07:33PM (#924608)

        jeez. alright, they can take turns as secretary of state.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @06:40PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @06:40PM (#924596)

    Lolwut?

    Is the entire site just a bunch of paid actors building a psy-op campaign?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @06:50PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 25 2019, @06:50PM (#924601)

      Putin hacked my tape measure, now my window doesn't fit right.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 26 2019, @06:05AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 26 2019, @06:05AM (#924798)

        At least one positive thing came out of the ordeal, switched one Murrican to metric.