Facebook extends ban on U.S. political ads for another month

By Elizabeth Culliford

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc expects that its post-election ban on political ads will last another month, according to an email the social media company sent to advertisers on Wednesday.

Facebook, which had announced the ban as part of measures to combat misinformation on its site, had previously said the ban would last at least a week but could be extended.

“While multiple sources have projected a presidential winner, we still believe it’s important to help prevent confusion or abuse on our platform,” Facebook said in the email, seen by Reuters.

A company spokesman declined to comment.

As false claims about voting integrity multiply on social media, Alphabet Inc’s Google also appears to be sticking with its post-election political ad ban.

The company, which had said the ban would last at least a week after polls closed on Nov. 3, declined to answer questions about when and how the restrictions would end.

A Google spokeswoman previously said the company would lift its ban based on factors such as the time needed for votes to be counted and whether there was civil unrest.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford and Ayanti Bera; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bernadette Baum)