Should Twitter allow political ads?
The Stream asks what role social media plays in politics and whether a ban on political advertisements could change that.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently announced that the company would no longer allow political advertisements on its platform. The move, the company says, is to make sure politicians and political campaigns tell voters the whole truth.
It’s the first such declaration by any social media company and stands in stark contrast to Facebook’s policy. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that, while he is open to ideas on how to prevent the spread of false information, his company has no intention on banning political ads or even fact-checking them.
Politicians in the United States appear to be divided on the announcement. Several believe the ban goes against free speech. Others, though, think the ban will create an uneven playing field for non-profit organisations and corporate America.
So will the prohibition actual prevent the spread of misinformation and keep politicians honest? We’ll dive into that debate on this episode of The Stream.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Divya Kala Bhavani, @divyakbhavani
Journalist, The Hindu
thehindu.com
Tom Jarvis, @tommortonjarvis
Founder & Managing Director, Wilderness Agency
wilderness.agency
Jessica Alter, @jalter
Cofounder & Chairman, Tech for Campaigns
techforcampaigns.org
Read more:
Should political ads be banned on social media? – Al Jazeera English
EU’s Vestager backs Twitter for banning political ads, berates Facebook – Reuters
What do you think? Record a video comment or leave your thoughts in the comments below.