Google to halt political ads after Election Day
September 25, 2020
Google will temporarily stop running political ads after Election Day to avoid premature claims that one candidate has won, a concern that has emerged as an increased number of people cast mail-in ballots, the company confirmed Friday.
The policy prohibits ads that reference candidates or the election outcome, or that are tied to election-related search queries. It will apply to Google's various ad platforms, including video site YouTube, which the Trump and Biden campaigns have flooded with millions of dollars worth of ads in the run-up to Nov. 3.
Axios first reported the news.
The big picture: Google isn't the only Silicon Valley giant amending its political ad policy before Election Day. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has halted all new election ads in the week before Nov. 3, and said earlier this week Facebook would not allow post-election political ads to prematurely declare a winner.
The Trump factor: The concerns about an orderly election have been magnified in recent days after President Donald Trump declined to commit to a peaceful transition if voters push him out in November. He has also sought to gin up doubt about the legitimacy of the forthcoming election, particularly votes that are cast by mail.
What's next: Major internet companies continue to tweak their policies related to political ads and content in order to mitigate confusion and misinformation. That's been an uphill battle for the tech industry and one they have less than 40 days to win.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
