Facebook lifts ban on political ads in the United States | NOW

Facebook ended the ban on political ads around the US elections on Thursday. For the first time in months, it is again possible to place advertisements on politics, elections and social issues.

“We plan to use the coming months to take a closer look at how these ads work, especially to see where further changes are needed,” Facebook said.

The U.S. tech company announced a ban on new political ads in November as the U.S. election neared. In the weeks that followed, all political advertising was banned after then-President Donald Trump publicly challenged the presidential election results.

The company adopted the restriction amid growing fears that presidential candidates might try to use advertisements to mislead voters about the electoral process or the results.

Facebook re-authorized some political ads around the Georgia Senate elections in early January. The complete blockade came into effect again on January 6. “We introduced this temporary ban after the November 2020 presidential election to avoid confusion or abuse after election day,” the company wrote.