Facebook has been taking steps to improve how it manages potential electoral misinformation and ... [+]
Facebook has formally asked NYU researchers to cease using a browser plug-in which records the political ads people see on its social network. Dubbed Ad Observer, the plug-in seeks to provide data on how Facebook micro-targets users with political ads, yet Facebook says it violates its rules against automated bulk collection of user data.
Legal experts, senators, and academics have spoken out in support of NYU’s team. Facebook has given the researchers until November 30 to delete the Ad Observer plug-in and data obtained using it, at which point it will consider further action.
Bringing Transparency to Political Ads on Facebook
Launched two years ago, the NYU Tandon Online Transparency Project aims to bring transparency to political advertising online. The project is now based largely around the use of the Ad Observer plug-in, which anyone can voluntarily download and install on their computers. Once installed, it then records the ads Facebook users see on the social network, while making the data available in a public database.
As of early September, the plug-in has already revealed a number of interesting trends and differences in how candidates are using Facebook ads, with Donald Trump spending double the amount spent by Joe Biden (since July) on ads across their respective Facebook pages. The plug-in has also revealed, for example, that 22% of Trump’s ads have been focused on the media.
Speaking in September, NYU’s Laura Edelson said, "We launched the Online Transparency Project two years ago to make it easier to see who was purchasing political ads on Facebook … It is our hope that journalists across the country utilize this free tool to support their election coverage and educate readers about how politicians are targeting Facebook users."
Facebook Responds
However, while some 6,500 volunteers have now downloaded the Ad Observer tool, Facebook has moved to put a stop to its use. In a letter dated October 16, an executive with the social network, Allison Hendrix, formally asked NYU’s Online Transparency Project to delete the plug-in and all data it has collected.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook spokesperson Joe Osborne said, "We informed NYU months ago that moving forward with a project to scrape people’s Facebook information would violate our terms."
Speaking on behalf of the NYU team, Ramya Krishnan–an attorney with the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University–argued in a statement that there was a strong public interest in making political ads on Facebook more transparent.
"That Facebook is trying to shut down a tool crucial to exposing disinformation in the run up to one of the most consequential elections in U.S. history is alarming … The public has a right to know what political ads are being run and how they are being targeted. Facebook shouldn't be allowed to be the gatekeeper to information necessary to safeguard our democracy."
Democrat senator Amy Klobuchar also voiced support for the researchers, telling the Wall Street Journal, "It's unacceptable that in the middle of an election, Facebook is making it harder for Americans to get information about online political ads."
Facebook has been taking steps in recent months to improve how it manages potential electoral misinformation and manipulation. It has spearheaded a campaign to encourage more of its users to register to vote, with Mark Zuckerberg claiming in a recent post that it has so far helped 4.4 million people register. It has also been more proactive in banning political ads which seek to spread misinformation regarding the election and electoral process.
However, the Ad Observer plug-in potentially risks shining an unflattering light on what remains of political ads and micro-targeting on Facebook. While the plug-in has been live for only a few months, it has already offered indications that certain candidates spend significantly more on ads than others. This fact alone suggests that Facebook may continue to distort the electoral process, regardless of its intentions.
