X Ends Ban on Political Ads But Will Continue Some Resitrictions

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 30 August 2023, 01:08 pm

X, previously known as Twitter, reinstated political advertising in the US, suggesting a significant change in its political content strategy.

The announcement coincides with the popular social media platform's attempts to increase income and improve content moderation before the forthcoming 2024 presidential election in the United States, according to Reuters.

After billionaire Elon Musk bought X in October, the business lifted its 2019 worldwide political ad ban. In January of this year, X relaxed the restriction, allowing "cause-based ads" that promote causes like voter registration. The business also expressed that it intended to expand the political advertisements permitted on its platform.

The decision to permit political advertisements in the United States seems calculated, seeking to offset a decrease in ad income brought on by advertisers' worries about their advertising running alongside offensive material. According to a recent article in The New York Times, X's US ad revenues have decreased by 59% from the prior year.

X Pledges to Fight Disinformation

In a recent blog post, X outlined its goal to strengthen the teams in charge of dealing with content manipulation and new threats. The business plans to launch a worldwide advertising transparency center that will provide users access to information on platform-promoted political advertisements.

X also highlighted that its standards regarding sponsored political advertising in the US would still prohibit incorrect or misleading information and anything that aims to undermine confidence in the democratic process.

The company's statement also demonstrated its commitment to improving the platform's overall integrity. X plans to implement a thorough screening procedure to ensure that only qualified organizations and campaigns can publish political ads.

Additionally, X announced its plans to improve its Civic Integrity Policy by finding a balance between safeguarding against damaging material like voter intimidation or deceit and enabling free public discourse, per a TechCrunch report.

The corporation has undergone substantial changes since Elon Musk bought it, including employee cutbacks that have raised questions about its capacity for content moderation. After these staff changes, many have questioned X's readiness for the 2024 US Presidential Election.

Balancing Free Expression and Content Regulation

Since Elon Musk considers himself an advocate for free expression, his influence on X's content standards has also sparked debate.

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.
— Safety (@Safety) January 3, 2023

According to an Al Jazeera article, conservative critics have often attacked social media companies for what they see as their strict content regulation policies. An illustrative case in point is the legal action taken by the Republican attorneys general from Louisiana and Missouri against US President Joe Biden's administration in response to their efforts to work with social media sites to counter COVID-19 disinformation.

The court processes resulted in a temporary restraining order against the Biden administration, virtually preventing it from engaging with social media firms. However, an appeals court suspended this order a week later.

In addition, critics have vigorously dissented from suspending several well-known politicians from social media sites because of controversial posts, including former US President Donald Trump.