Google is banning its allies from running race-related ads after election day.
In anticipation of a competitive election result, Google is banning its allies from running race-related ads after election day. In an email to advertisers, the company said the “unprecedented” number of votes would be counted after November 3. This is because many voters will use mail-in votes during epidemics.
- Google is banning its allies from running race-related ads after election day.
- Therefore, it will block advertisements targeting people based on the election.
- The standard applies to company sites, including Google Ads and YouTube.
- Visit Lifestyle Uganda homepage for more stories on the US Elections 2020.
However, President Trump’s frequent speeches against mail-in voting and recent comments about the role of the Supreme Court in the upcoming election suggest that the outcome of the election will take longer to confirm than normal.
Google is therefore afraid of ads spreading misinformation between election day and the winner’s final certification.
For example, campaigns for Trump or Joe Biden may run ads on Google following Election Day, announcing victory in advance. Google says this will lead to massive confusion and cripple confidence in the result.
Therefore, it will block advertisements targeting people based on the election, its results or election-related searches. The standard applies to company sites, including Google Ads and YouTube.
Media Gears Up for US Elections 2020
Last month, Facebook also announced measures to curb misinformation following Election Day. The social network will ban all new political ads a week before the election. Also, it will block advertisements from political campaigns announcing early success.
The media will play a key role in justifying the election as the slow schedule of mail-in votes threatens to extend the deadline. Therefore, the media should try to block any victory announcement until local officials certify the vote.
While this is enough for the mainstream media, the challenge is different on social media sites where an individual can spread information.
As a result, it is up to the gatekeepers of the country’s major social media sites to prevent the spread of misinformation. At this point, social media companies have taken the position that they are just sites of speech expression. They seem to be beginning to recognize their role as arbitrators of the truth in the public square.
