Facebook removes ads by US Senator, restores later

Facebook removed several ads placed by US Senator and Democratic candidate for President Elizabeth Warren on its platform that called for breaking up tech giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook.

According to a report in Politico news on Monday, Facebook later said it has restored the ads that it had taken down.

"We removed the ads because they violated our policies against use of our corporate logo. In the interest of allowing robust debate, we are restoring the ads," a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Warren tweeted after Facebook removed the ads.

"Curious why I think FB has too much power? Let's start with their ability to shut down a debate over whether FB has too much power.

"Thanks for restoring my posts. But I want a social media marketplace that isn't dominated by a single censor," she tweeted.

The ads announced her plans to unwind "anti-competitive" tech mergers, including Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram.

"Three companies have vast power over our economy and our democracy. Facebook, Amazon, and Google," read Warren's ads.

Stressing that tech giants have too much influence over our lives, Massachusetts Senator Warren also said she wanted Apple to surrender control over the iOS App Store or cease selling its own apps within it.

The ads directed users to a petition on Warren's campaign website urging them "to support our plan to break up these big tech companies."

The Democratic Senator, who recently launched her 2020 presidential bid, is in favour of passing laws that prevent large e-commerce platforms with a global annual revenue of $25 billion or more, from owning both the platform and any sellers on it.

"This would not be the first time in US history that this kind of arrangement had to be broken up," Warren stressed, comparing the tech majors to the railroad barons who dominated the US commerce during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

--IANS

na/ksk