In Nov. 2019, Twitter stopped running paid political ads. Founder and then-CEO of the company Jack Dorsey reasoned that political ads (which include political lies) are problematic as they can be used to “influence votes to affect the lives of millions.”
The decision, which was in contrast to Facebook’s decision to keep running political ads on its platform, was criticized by conservatives – even though it forbade ads from all sides of the political spectrum.
Now, under the leadership of CEO Elon Musk, Twitter is reversing its decision.
“We believe that cause-based advertising can facilitate public conversation around important topics. Today, we’re relaxing our ads policy for cause-based ads in the US. We also plan to expand the political advertising we permit in the coming weeks,” Twitter’s official Safety account tweeted on Tuesday.
Details are scarce. In a subsequent tweet, Twitter said that it will “will align our advertising policy with that of TV and other media outlets,” which can mean almost anything. The company also said that it will “ensure that our approach to reviewing and approving content protects people on Twitter.”
It’s fairly obvious that one of the main reasons why Twitter would want political ads back on the platform is money. Twitter is reportedly bleeding advertisers who are spooked by Musk’s move fast and “do lots of dumb stuff” approach to running Twitter, as well as his reinstating of previously banned accounts and cosying up to folks promoting right wing agendas and conspiracy theories. There should be a heightened interest for political advertising as the U.S. approaches the 2024 elections.
As for cause-based ads, which include topics such as social equity, civic engagement, and environmental stewardship, they still appear to be restricted globally, but are allowed in the U.S. The only change in Twitter’s official page on that matter, compared to an older snapshot from November 2022, is that “advertisers whose cause-based ads target only within the United States are exempt from the above-listed restrictions.”
