Facebook won't accept new political ads one week before the US presidential election. This is yet another measure Facebook is taking to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform.

Facebook Sets a Deadline for Political Ads

Political groups and candidates now have a deadline for posting new political ads on Facebook. Starting one week before the 2020 US presidential election, Facebook will no longer approve new political ads. Since Facebook already allows users to turn off political ads, its latest restriction on ads acts as another layer of protection.

That said, advertisers can buy new ads up until October 27th. Any advertisers who buy ads prior to this cutoff date will get to keep running their ads before and during election day.

In a Facebook post, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that "in the final days of an election there may not be enough time to contest new claims." In other words, there's no time to scrutinize new ads when they're published right before the election.

Zuckerberg also commented on the challenges that voters face during this election, saying:

This election is not going to be business as usual. We all have a responsibility to protect our democracy. That means helping people register and vote, clearing up confusion about how this election will work, and taking steps to reduce the chances of violence and unrest.

To tackle misinformation about voting, the platform is tightening restrictions on the content in ads as well. Facebook won't publish ads that contain any COVID-related threats that discourage voting.

In the past, Facebook has been criticized for its handling of elections. The 2016 US presidential election saw alleged interference from a Russian misinformation campaign that thrived on Facebook. However, this threat still hasn't disappeared---Facebook recently eliminated a network of Russian trolls that the social network claims was seeking to spread misinformation.

Facebook Seeks Redemption

After the controversy of the 2016 election, it seems that Facebook is really trying to prove that it's a safe and secure platform. Still, many users remain skeptical about Facebook's safety, and may even consider deactivating their account.