Facebook plans on extending its political ad ban across the platform. The platform never specified when exactly the ban would end, but we now know that it will remain for at least another month.

Don't Expect Political Ads to Return Just Yet

In September 2020, Facebook announced that it would limit political ads on the platform starting one week before Election Day. It later stated that it will suspend political ads after the election as well. Facebook took this precautionary measure to contain the spread of election misinformation.

Facebook updated users and advertisers on the status of the ad ban in a post on the About Facebook blog. The platform noted that "the temporary pause for ads about politics and social issues in the US continues to be in place as part of our ongoing efforts to protect the election."

And in terms of when these ads will come back online, Facebook stated that "advertisers can expect this to last another month, though there may be an opportunity to resume these ads sooner."

In other words, the ban on political ads may last longer than a month, or it may be shorter. The status of the ban likely depends on the political climate in the US.

With President Donald Trump refusing to concede to President-elect Joe Biden, and also calling for a recount of votes, Facebook likely wants to avoid aggravating the tense situation even more.

Despite the fact that several media outlets have called Joe Biden the winner of the presidential race, Facebook doesn't explicitly say that in its About Facebook update.

Vaguely, it notes that "getting the US election results this year may take longer than in previous elections due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and more people voting by mail."

Before, during, and after the US election, Facebook showed off its arsenal of misinformation-fighting tools. The platform debuted a Voting Information Center specifically for the election, attached labels to misleading posts, and also worked to removed posts containing misinformation.

But perhaps Facebook's biggest task during the election process was putting an end to the massive Stop the Steal Facebook group and shutting down President Trump's post declaring a premature victory.

The Absence of Political Ads Isn't a Bad Thing

Facebook doesn't need political ads to function. These ads sometimes spread misinformation, and can cause unnecessary frustration to users across the platform.

If you're dreading the reappearance of political ads, don't worry. Facebook gives you the option to turn off political ads and avoid all the drama that comes along with them.