Irony: Facebook Takes Down Elizabeth Warren Ads That Call For Breakup Of Facebook Being Too Powerful

[TheBlackAdder]

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Facebook removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants.

But the social network later reversed course after POLITICO reported on the takedown, with the company saying it wanted to allow for "robust debate."

The ads, which had identical images and text, touted Warren's recently announced plan to unwind "anti-competitive" tech mergers, including Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram.

“Three companies have vast power over our economy and our democracy. Facebook, Amazon, and Google," read the ads, which Warren's campaign had placed Friday. "We all use them. But in their rise to power, they’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field in their favor.”

A message on the three ads said: “This ad was taken down because it goes against Facebook's advertising policies.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/11/facebook-removes-elizabeth-warren-ads-1216757




TheHill.com
Facebook restores Warren ads removed for criticizing the platform

Facebook on Monday restored three ads from Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) campaign it had briefly taken down that highlighted her push for the breakup of massive tech giants, including the social media platform.

“We removed the ads because they violated our policies against use of our corporate logo. In the interest of allowing robust debate, we are restoring the ads," the company said in a statement to The Hill.

Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Facebook, noted that several other ads Warren's campaign placed that specifically referenced her proposal to break up Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, among other tech mergers, were unaffected.

Facebook's policies ban advertisers from using the word "Facebook," or the company's logo, in any ads on the platform. The policy was instituted as an attempt to weed out advertisements that falsely promoted products using Facebook's name.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/433583-facebook-restores-briefly-removed-warren-ads-criticizing-the-platform



The irony of Warren saying these firms have too much power was displayed by Facebook, only reversed when Politico called them out for censoring ads.

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