Facebook tried to regulate political ads. It's actually regulating the news.


When Russian memes overtook actual political ads during the 2016 election season, Facebook knew it had a problem. But its solution isn't making things any better.
At the end of May, Facebook unveiled its automated system that flags political ads and requires their makers to authenticate their identities. The system also labels who created an ad and stores that information in a searchable database.
But ProPublica has been monitoring Facebook political ads since September, and what it's found hasn't exactly been uplifting. In just a few weeks, ProPublica has documented several cases where non-political ads were marked as "electoral" or "issue" messages. Many of those misdirected flags hit news stories on one of the broad national issues Facebook is sweeping ads for, including crime, health, and education. Meanwhile, ads from Democratic senators and advocacy groups on both sides of the aisle haven't been scooped up.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Many news organizations that have fallen victim to Facebook's tracker have opted not to run ads until it's fixed, ProPublica reports. The New York Times' CEO even publicly detailed his concern that Facebook is getting news all wrong.
Facebook's defense? “Enforcement is never perfect at launch,” the company told ProPublica. Read more about the Facebook project at ProPublica.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect