In an effort to combat misinformation around elections, Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, along with Google’s YouTube, have enacted temporary pauses on new political ads. This restriction aims to reduce the spread of unverified claims that could sway public sentiment or undermine confidence in election results during a sensitive period. Meta implemented its ad pause last week, and while initially scheduled to end soon, the company has extended it. Similarly, Google plans to halt election-related ads post-election day, with no specified end date for the pause. Meanwhile, TikTok has upheld its existing ban on political ads since 2019, while X, formerly Twitter, lifted its ban on political advertising in 2022 under Elon Musk’s ownership and has no current plans for an election-related restriction.
The strategy behind these ad pauses is to limit the spread of potentially polarizing information that could disrupt public perception during the vote-counting period, which may last several days. Yet, experts argue that despite these measures, previous actions by social media companies—such as reducing their internal safety and monitoring teams—could diminish their effectiveness in curbing misinformation.
Tackling the Spread of Election Misinformation
Election officials have already been contending with misinformation, including unsubstantiated claims of vote manipulation and election fraud. Federal law enforcement has expressed concern that domestic extremists, motivated by unfounded election fraud theories, might respond with violence post-election. While social media companies have claimed these ad pauses are part of broader efforts to safeguard online discourse during election week, the recent downsizing of content moderation teams has raised questions about their capacity to manage the spread of false information effectively.
With X emerging as a significant source of election-related misinformation, the platform’s shift away from its previous focus on combating political misinformation has contributed to an increasingly volatile online environment. The platform, once known for its proactive stance on disinformation and violent rhetoric, has seen a significant rollback in these policies under Musk’s leadership. This policy change has sparked criticism, with experts highlighting that this “backslide” could further challenge the public’s trust in accurate election information.
The Impact of the “Backslide” on Trust and Safety
Since the 2016 election, social media platforms have adopted more rigorous policies to combat misinformation. After the Capitol incident on January 6, 2021, these companies enhanced their trust and safety teams, prioritizing the removal of misleading political content. However, many of these policies have since been relaxed. Last year, Meta, among others, stopped removing content falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen. This regulatory rollback has become widely known as “the backslide,” referring to platforms’ gradual retreat from proactive content moderation practices.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, points out that these changes have eroded public confidence in online information. In particular, he argues that years of unaddressed disinformation about the electoral process have left the public more vulnerable to misinformation campaigns. A recent analysis from his organization highlighted that election-related posts by X’s owner, Musk, have garnered billions of views, many of which are misleading. Ahmed cautions that without fundamental changes in how platforms address false content, ad bans alone will have a limited impact on the spread of misinformation.
The widespread reach of these platforms and their algorithms’ propensity to amplify highly engaging content, often controversial or polarizing, only exacerbates the problem. According to Ahmed, ad bans are merely a temporary fix for a more extensive issue: platforms are designed to promote contentious content, so claims that fuel engagement don’t necessarily rely on paid ads to spread rapidly.
Platform-Specific Approaches to Election Integrity
Despite ongoing debates over the effectiveness of these temporary ad bans, social media companies report they are taking additional steps to safeguard information integrity. Meta has deployed fact-checkers to label and lower the visibility of inaccurate content in users’ feeds, while Google has partnered with local authorities to provide accurate election information. TikTok has established a “US Elections Integrity Hub” to help users identify trustworthy election information and prevent the spread of harmful content.
Meta, however, has stated that it will not outright ban posts that prematurely declare election results. Instead, it plans to label these posts with clarifying information. YouTube, meanwhile, has stated that it will remove any content that incites violence or encourages election interference. Although YouTube won’t ban videos prematurely declaring election results, it will display official data alongside such content to provide additional context.
Leslie Miller, Vice President of Government Relations at YouTube, has reiterated the platform’s commitment to content integrity, emphasizing that responsibility remains a core priority both during and beyond election periods. For instance, YouTube plans to remove videos that mislead voters or advocate violence, while working alongside local authorities to ensure the accuracy of shared election-related information. TikTok follows a similar approach, partnering with fact-checkers to identify unverified claims and prevent them from appearing in users’ For You feeds.
The Limits of Temporary Measures in the Face of Complex Challenges
Even as platforms claim to take responsibility for online election information, some analysts contend that temporary ad pauses may not be enough to counteract the influence of deeply embedded misinformation. Critics argue that meaningful change would require more than ad restrictions; instead, tech companies need to re-prioritize trust and safety teams and adopt robust, long-term policies to combat the roots of misinformation.
Under Musk’s ownership, X has adopted a Civic Integrity Policy that seeks to prevent election interference by banning content that could mislead voters or incite violence. However, this policy still permits users to post polarizing or partisan content. This approach has raised concerns, particularly following Musk’s controversial posts, which many argue cross the line into misinformation. While Musk has claimed that some of these posts were intended as jokes, experts argue that such content can easily be misconstrued and fuel disinformation narratives.
Balancing Transparency, Safety, and Free Speech
As the midterm election cycle unfolds, tech companies face the complex task of balancing transparency with the protection of online discourse. While platforms like TikTok have taken a stricter approach, banning political ads entirely, Meta and Google’s temporary ad pauses offer a more limited solution, one that may be insufficient to address the scale of misinformation challenges fully.
Despite their efforts to label and demote false content, social media companies must continue evaluating the effectiveness of their policies and work with experts to establish long-term solutions. The temporary ad pauses, while a step in the right direction, highlight the need for a sustained commitment to accuracy and public trust in the online space.
In the end, the responsibility to ensure accurate and safe election information extends beyond mere ad pauses. For tech giants to genuinely foster trust and safety, they must address the structural and algorithmic factors that allow misinformation to thrive, reaffirming their commitment to a transparent and democratic online landscape.
