Today, Facebook removed a number of ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, according to Politico. The ads target tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook and were placed after Warren announced last week that she would work to break up the firms by reversing large acquisitions, if elected president in 2020.
Shortly after reports surfaced, Facebook told Politico that it would be restoring the ads that it had taken down. “We removed the ads because they violated our policies against use of our corporate logo. In the interest of allowing robust debate, we are restoring the ads,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
UPDATE: Facebook says it's restoring the ads. “We removed the ads because they violated our policies against use of our corporate logo. In the interest of allowing robust debate, we are restoring the ads" - per FB spox https://t.co/XHGfeb8I3l — Cristiano Lima (@viaCristiano) March 11, 2019
According to Politico, the ads that were taken down were identical and used the same images and text in each one. Warren’s ads point out that without placing ads on Facebook, the campaign wouldn’t be able to spread its platform or message as efficiently due to the company’s sheer size and ability to target specific voters.
Warren’s ads may have violated Facebook policies around using the company’s name
“Three companies have vast power over our economy and our democracy. Facebook, Amazon, and Google,” the ads read. “We all use them. But in their rise to power, they’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field in their favor.” Over the weekend, Warren told The Verge in an interview that she’s also calling for the breakup of Apple, too.
The ads that were briefly taken down were replaced with text that read, “This ad was taken down because it goes against Facebook’s advertising policies.” The company has policies around using Facebook’s logo and name in advertisements, and a Facebook spokesperson told Politico these rules were why the ads were originally removed.
In a tweet, Warren responded to Facebook saying, “Curious why I think FB has too much power? Let’s start with their ability to shut down debate over whether FB has too much power. Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isn’t dominated by a single censor.”
Curious why I think FB has too much power? Let's start with their ability to shut down a debate over whether FB has too much power. Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isn't dominated by a single censor. #BreakUpBigTech https://t.co/UPS6dozOxn — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 11, 2019
Last week, Elizabeth Warren announced that, if elected president next year, she would work to break up giant tech companies like Facebook and Google. It’s the most stringent proposal from any lawmaker, capping off a steady increase in calls for antitrust action against Silicon Valley from the Justice Department and other regulators.
escape_goat on March 12nd, 2019 at 01:07 UTC »
Honestly I think the campaign was probably familiar with Facebook's advertisement TOS and was counting on it to happen. However, the stunt did a good job of illustrating why "walled garden" social media is problematic.
PM_me_ur_throwawayac on March 12nd, 2019 at 00:17 UTC »
Facebook has been censoring anything it doesnt agree with for a long time now, this just proves what many people have been saying for a long time.
Gambit08 on March 12nd, 2019 at 00:10 UTC »
It’s stuff like this that make me happy I left Facebook after the Cambridge Analytica scandal