Late Thursday Facebook expressed that it did not approve the advertisements of Susan B. Anthony in a time frame of one week of the controversial and heated midterm elections of 2018. This move made by Facebook has raised many questions of the undue influence of social media companies in the electoral politics of America. Susan B. Anthony List ad punishes the Democratic candidate of Tennessee Senate Phil Bredesen regarding his views of pro-choice and in the meantime by promoting The Republican Candidate of Tennessee Blackburn as a “pro-life champion.”
Facebook has responded to the request of Breitbart News Network to provide an insight into this subject. Facebook also explained that the advertisement should have never been disapproved. One of the spokespeople has told the media outlet that the ad doesn’t violate the policies of Facebook and the ad should have never been refused.
Facebook still has to answer to the follow-up requests regarding commenting over the fact that why did the ad get disapproved and what are the different safeguards that Facebook must come up with to make sure that the conventional political issue related to ads won’t get censored.
Facebook’s initial objection to Susan B. Anthony List’s advertising contrasts sharply with Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg’s statement that she will not be banning the ads with a pro-life perspective, even though she has her own support and beliefs. Most importantly her support regarding Planned Parenthood.
Sandberg repeatedly asked a question repeatedly, and that is “Whether a divisive issue or political ads run?” The controversy over the ad of Susan B. Anthony when Google refused to broadcast a Tennessee Republican ad that supports Blackburn’s Senate. In October 2017, Twitter blocked Blackburn’s Senate ad, claiming that the ad was “inciting”.
Back in June this year, Blackburn reportedly told Breitbart News that the social media companies seriously need to come up with some regulations for preventing the practices related to their censorship.
