Twitter said it would ease its 3-year-old ban on political ads. The latest change by Elon Musk as he tries to pump up revenue. After buying the social media platform last year.
The company tweeted late Tuesday that “we are relaxing. Our advertising policy for cause-based ads in the US.”
“We plan to expand the political ads we allow next week,” the company said from its Twitter safety account.
Twitter banned all political ads in 2019, responding to growing concerns. About misinformation spreading on social media.
At the time, then-CEO Jack Dorsey said that while Internet advertising was powerful. And effective for commercial advertisers.” That power carries significant risks in politics. Where it can be used to sway votes to affect the lives of millions of people.”
The latest move appears to represent a break from that policy. Which banned advertisements for candidates. political parties or elected or appointed government officials.
With less than $3 million in total spending for the 2018 US. Midterm elections, political ads made up a sliver of Twitter’s revenue.
In contrast to the ban, Twitter said “cause-based ads can help public conversations. About important issues” and that the change would. Align the platform’s advertising policy with “TV. And other media outlets,” without elaborating further.
In March 2021, Facebook lifted a ban on political and social issue ads. That had been in place following the 2020 US presidential election.
Kasturi bills himself as a free-speech warrior and bought Twitter. Because he believed it was not living up to its potential as a free speech platform. But the billionaire Tesla CEO has been forced to cut huge costs. And find more sources of revenue to justify the $44 billion sale.
