Google 'in discussions about changing political ad policy'
Nov. 7, 2019NEWS FROM THE OPEN KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION
EMBARGO: IMMEDIATE
GOOGLE ‘IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CHANGING POLITICAL AD POLICY’
Google is ‘in discussions in discussions about changing its political ad policy’, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The paper reports that the online giant, which owns YouTube, has been holding internal meetings about changing its political ad policy and is expected to share more information with employees this week.
The reported move comes after Twitter banned political adverts, and with Facebook under pressure to suspend political adverts for the duration of the UK General Election campaign.
Catherine Stihler, chief executive of the Open Knowledge Foundation, said:
“Any move by Google to tighten up its political ad policy would be very welcome.
“It’s encouraging that online giants are starting to take their responsibilities seriously and recognising the need to act to stop the spread of disinformation.
“But this can’t just be left to social media platforms to take action by themselves – our analogue electoral laws need to catch up with the digital age and ensure we build a fair, free and open future.
“Unfortunately, in the UK, there isn’t time for reform ahead of the General Election, which is why we’re calling for a moratorium on political ads on Facebook until the end of the campaign.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-weighs-changes-to-political-ad-policy-11573081092
Contact: Alan Roden at [email protected] or +44 (0)7753 904 531
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