Facebook Removes Misleading Trump Campaign “Census” Ads After Pelosi Rebuke

Topline: After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly criticized Facebook for its policy of allowing politicians to lie in their ads, the social media giant removed potentially misleading Trump campaign ads about the Census. 

• Facebook said Thursday it removed hundreds of ads purchased by the Trump reelection campaign that directed users to a campaign survey labeled “2020 census.”
• The move came hours after Pelosi blasted Facebook for allowing misinformation on the platform, saying the ads could lead people to believe they had filled out the actual Census. 
• Facebook had initially said the ads did not violate their policies after the online newsletter Popular Information published a story about them, but changed their tune after Pelosi’s comments.
• Though Facebook will not remove false or misleading ads from politicians, there are some exceptions, such as if a politician advocates violence, discourages people from voting or disseminates inaccurate information about the U.S. Census.
• A Facebook spokesperson said the company has “policies in place to prevent confusion around the official U.S. Census and this is an example of those being enforced.”

Crucial quote: Pelosi called the ads “a lie that is consistent with the misrepresentation policy of Facebook.” She added the company is “messing with who we are as Americans. I know the profit motive is their business model, but it should not come at the cost of counting who is in our country."

News peg: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously said that political speech on Facebook should be largely left alone, even if it’s proven to be a lie or false, citing a reluctance to be an arbiter of truth. Even when it comes to regular user posts, Facebook demotes and fact-checks false stories rather than removing them completely. The policy has drawn intense criticism from Pelosi in particular, after a doctored video of her appearing to be drunk at a conference went viral last year.