For X, this is a radical break from the recent past, because in 2019 the platform decided to ban all political ads. The first step in this shift was taken last January, when some advertisements related to political campaigns were already allowed to return. Actions again given space include calls for voter registration.
According to the British news agency Reuters, the decision to allow campaign ads again appears to have been taken in light of X’s urgent need to collect more revenue. Since billionaire Elon Musk took ownership of the network last year and relaxed rules around harmful content, a slew of private advertisers have pulled out of the platform for fear of being associated with offensive, racist and violent expressions on X.
Addressing concerns about harmful political content, X announced on its company blog on Tuesday that it will take action. For example, there will be a global “Transparency Center”, which will allow users to see what ads can be seen on the platform and where they are coming from. It also confirmed that false information that attempts to manipulate the elections remains prohibited.
