Google will stop electoral advertising after the official closing of the polls for the US presidential elections, a measure designed to limit false messages about the outcome of the contest.
The largest Internet company said advertisers will not be able to run ads that reference the candidates, the election or its outcome, according to an email seen by Bloomberg News. The policy, which is designed to block all election-related ads, also applies to YouTube, the largest online video service.
Google also said that advertisers must wait at least two days for political ads to be approved in the run-up to the election. With its new policy, the company is treating the elections as a “sensitive event”, like natural disasters, where it prohibits advertisements that can capitalize on tragedies. Axios reported the change earlier.
Tech platforms are rushing to rewrite policies to ensure campaign ads don’t mislead voters. Facebook Inc. will prevent campaigns from sending new ads in the week leading up to Election Day. Twitter Inc. has banned all political ads.
US President Donald Trump accused Twitter and Facebook of political bias after his decisions. By contrast, Google’s decision on Friday did not provoke immediate outrage.
“I don’t buy a lot of fireworks on July 5,” said Will Ritter, founder of Poolhouse, a digital advertising company that works with Republicans.
Since May 2018, Google has sold more than $ 432 million worth of political ads, according to the company’s database. Earlier this year, the Trump campaign made a successful offer to run ads on the YouTube home page before the election, Bloomberg News reported.
