Facebook blocks foreign ads before Thai election amid fears junta will benefit
- The junta, led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, had asked Facebook to remove content on previous occasions
- There are concerns Facebook’s ban on electoral ads could hurt the more social media-savvy opposition
The social media site on Thursday said it has expanded enforcement in Thailand to protect “the integrity of elections while making sure people can have a voice in the political process”.
Facebook and its subsidiary WhatsApp have promised to get tougher on “fake news” that could influence this year’s elections in Asia.
The ban in Thailand is expected to take effect in mid-February and will apply to all electoral ads run by advertisers based outside the country. Both “automated and human review” will be used to identify the unwelcome ads.
“Learning from every election over the last two years, we have increased our capabilities to take down fake accounts, reduce false news, disrupt bad actors, support an informed and engaged electorate, and increase ads transparency,” said Katie Harbath, Facebook’s director of global politics and government outreach.
It would be interesting to know if Facebook acquiesced to a junta censorship request
The restrictions in Thailand will apply to foreign ads that “contain references to politicians, parties, ‘getting out the vote’ and/or election suppression”. Foreign ads with political slogans and party logos will also be blocked.
Last year, Facebook banned foreign groups buying ads related to an abortion referendum in Ireland. It also previously banned foreign election ads in Nigeria and Ukraine.
