As the 2024 presidential election approaches, Facebook is facing criticism for running hundreds of ads that falsely claim the election may be rigged or postponed. The ads, which have paid the company over $1 million, feature misleading images of Vice President Kamala Harris and VP candidate Tim Walz, as well as conspiracy theories about election legitimacy and the involvement of Big Pharma. Meta’s rules prohibit ads that spread misinformation about voting details or question the legitimacy of an election, but these ads have slipped through the cracks.
A spokesperson for Meta stated that they are reviewing the ads and will remove any that violate their policies. The ads direct viewers to pages promoting writings by conspiracy theorist Jim Rickards and false claims about a ‘Uniparty’ working for Big Pharma. Despite efforts to combat election misinformation, Meta has a history of struggles with political manipulation on its platform, including Russian interference in the 2016 election and the spread of “stop the steal” conspiracy theories in 2020.
In 2020, Meta dramatically reduced the amount of political posts shown to users, potentially increasing the influence of paid political ads. This year, Vice President Kamala Harris has outspent former President Donald Trump in Facebook ads. Meanwhile, Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg and his wife have donated millions to nonpartisan election integrity groups, but Zuckerberg himself has faced allegations from Trump and his supporters about plotting against him in the 2020 election.
Zuckerberg reportedly called Trump a “badass” after an assassination attempt against the former president, but Meta denied any interference in the election. As Facebook continues to grapple with election misinformation and political manipulation, the role of social media platforms in shaping public opinion and influencing elections remains a contentious issue. Users and policymakers are calling for greater transparency and accountability from companies like Meta to ensure fair and accurate political discourse on their platforms.
