Disinformation: Twitter signs the return of political ads because… finances matter above all!


Samir Rahmoun

January 04, 2023 at 12:35 p.m.

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twitter smartphone © Sattalat Phukkum / Shutterstock.com

© Sattalat Phukkum/Shutterstock.com

Twitter will once again allow political advertisements to appear on the network. Are the 2024 US presidential elections in sight?

Elon Musk’s company is thus backtracking on a decision made in 2019. And this is not the only change to come.

Political ads allowed again

The financial difficulties of Twitter are known to all. The network, already economically fragile before the arrival of Elon Musk, has since had to suffer a massive departure from advertisers. As a result, the blue bird needs money more than ever.

And after a few wanderings, the new management team may have found the martingale. She has just announced on the TwitterSafety account that political ads will be able to return to the network, after being banned in 2019. We […] plan to allow political advertising more widely in the coming weeks » is it thus announced.

If no details are given for the moment, the account still specifies in a following tweet: “ We will align our advertising policy with that of television and other media “. And if the standards chosen are those of American television, many advertisements could again be permitted.

The United States as an exception

It says on its general interest advertising policy page that Twitter ” restricts sponsorship of advertisements intended to inform and/or raise awareness in areas related to civic engagement, economic growth, environmental stewardship or social justice “.

However, this easing policy seems to target the United States in particular, since an exception has just been made to this general rule. Indeed, a new point has just been added to the English-language page in connection with the subject: it states that ” advertisers […] that only target the United States are exempt from the above restrictions “.

In short, American political actors will now have free rein to advertise on the network. It’s hard not to see a link with the 2024 presidential elections, which are fast approaching, and which should greatly heat up people’s minds. Could Twitter afford a good share of the communication budget for this campaign?

Sources: The Verge, TwitterSafety through Twitter



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