Facebook will ban ads that seek to delegitimize US election

KEY POINTS

• Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will not allow any ads on its service that seek to delegitimize the outcome of an election, including the upcoming U.S. election on Nov. 3.
• This policy will prohibit any ads that call specific methods of voting, such as voting by mail, as being inherently fraudulent or corrupt.
• The new policy will apply to ads on Facebook and Instagram effective immediately.

Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill April 11, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Yasin Ozturk | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Facebook on Wednesday announced that it will not allow any ads on its service that seek to delegitimize the outcome of an election, including the upcoming U.S. election on Nov. 3.

"Last week we said we'd prohibit ads that make premature declarations of victory. We also won't allow ads with content that seeks to delegitimize the outcome of an election," tweeted Rob Leathern, Facebook director of product management. 

This policy will prohibit any ads that call specific methods of voting, such as voting by mail, as being inherently fraudulent or corrupt, Leathern said. It will also prohibit the use of isolated incidents of voter fraud to delegitimize the result of an election, he added. 

Facebook's policy change comes as President Donald Trump has used social media to make false claims that voting by mail leads to election fraud. Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose. 

The new policy will apply to ads on Facebook and Instagram effective immediately, Leathern said.