Elon Musk's X To Allow Political Ads From Candidates Ahead Of US Presidential Polls
X said in a blog post that allowing political ads, starting in the United States, was "building on our commitment to free expression."
The social media company X Corp. said on Tuesday that it will permit political advertising in the US from candidates and political parties.
X will extend its security and elections team ahead of the 2024 presidential election, said the Elon Musk-owned company in a blog post.
The latest move by X to allow all political ads in the US could help it boost its revenue at a time when many advertisers have fled or decreased spending on the platform.
X said it would create a global advertising transparency centre to authorise users to witness what political ads were being promoted on its platform.
It would also continue to prohibit political ads that spread false information or seek to undermine public confidence in an election, added the company.
Musk acquired the company last October.
X said in a blog post that allowing political ads, starting in the United States, was “building on our commitment to free expression.”
X policies prohibit the promotion of false or misleading information, incorporating bogus claims aimed at undermining confidence in an election, the blog contended. Trump’s recent mug shot post came with a caption reading “Election interference.”
A judge on Monday set March 4, 2024, for Trump’s election subversion conspiracy trial — placing one of the biggest criminal cases in American history at the height of the next White House race.
Musk slashed staffing after buying Twitter, extending concerns about its ability to moderate content and reliably function.
X said it is revising its Civic Integrity Policy for safeguarding elections to tackle content meant to intimidate or deceive voters while aligning with Musk’s philosophy of letting people say what they want.
“X shouldn’t determine the truthfulness of disputed information,” the platform said in the blog post.
The social media company was formerly known as Twitter. Since 2019, all political ads have been prohibited globally on Twitter. In January, the company lifted the ban and began allowing “cause-based ads” in the US that raise awareness on cases such as voter registration. It also said that it planned to expand the types of political ads it would allow on the platform.
The social media giant said that it would grow its teams to combat content manipulation and emerging threats.
On August 10, X Corp. CEO Linda Yaccarino said that she has been focussing on trying to get big brands back and advertising on the social media platform.
“I’ve lived on a lot of planes lately, direct conversations with CMOs and CEOs, and we cover a lot of ground and I focus on those that have either paused or reduced spending to remind them about the power of the platform and the power of the user base and the economic potential of them partnering with us again,” she told.
Many companies had cut their ad spending on the platform over concerns that Musk’s thinning of content restrictions was enabling hateful and toxic speech to flourish. Elon Musk launches AI firm ‘xAI’ to create ChatGPT rival
