Facebook to block new political ads, but policy still has gaping holes

Facebook has sometimes had trouble catching what is or isn't a political ad, so people end up seeing them without a disclosure anyway

To limit voter misinformation ahead of November’s election, Facebook said this week that it would block new political ads from appearing on its site in the week before Election Day.

It was a sweeping action by the social network, which is used by millions of voters. But just how effective could such a move be in minimising confusion?

The answer: likely not very effective.

That’s because political ads on Facebook are just one piece of content on the social network; political misinformation also flourishes in messages that people post and in discussions in private Facebook Groups. Facebook is not tackling those areas as