Twitter announced Tuesday it will allow political advertising in the United States from candidates and political parties ahead of the 2024 election, reversing its previous policy.
“Building on our commitment to free expression, we are also going to allow political advertising,” Twitter said in a statement.
With the decision to bring back political advertising, it will still apply “specific policies” to them, according to the statement. This includes prohibiting the promotion of “false or misleading content,” including information “intended to undermine public confidence in an election.” (RELATED: ‘Extra Layer Of Protection’: Elon Musk’s X Is Laying The Groundwork To Censor ‘Harmful’ Election Content)
supporting people’s right to accurate & safe political discourse on X → https://t.co/MWq1AIcl8C
— X (@X) August 29, 2023
Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, the social media platform banned political ads in 2019, with its former CEO Jack Dorsey saying “political message reach should be earned, not bought.”
The social media platform will also “provide a global advertising transparency center” so users can review the promoted political posts, the statement added.
Twitter announced earlier this year it would start lifting the ban and enable “cause-based ads,” then remove the ban on political advertising in the “coming weeks.”
In July, Musk shared on Twitter that the company experienced a nearly “50% drop in advertising revenue,” along with a “heavy debt load.” Allowing all political ads could “help” the platform “grow its revenue,” as many advertisers have left or “reduced spending” on the social media platform for “for fear of appearing next to inappropriate content,” Reuters suggested.