Healthy democracy & micro-targeted political ads: you can't have one with the other

The web has transformed political campaigning. Gone are the days when direct mail or the 30-second TV spot were the most powerful tool in a candidate’s box — we’ve entered the age of online advertising. 

Social media platforms have become the chief arena in which campaigns are fought and narrowly targeted advertising is perhaps the most powerful tool campaigns have to win elections, giving candidates the power to tailor their message to voters based hundreds of demographic, personality-based and behavioural factors.

This has a profound impact on democracy. Elections the world over — from Kenya to Italy to the US and beyond — have already seen the negative consequences of micro-targeted political ads.

As candidates move on from traditional campaigning and embrace digital politics, we must face up to the danger of narrowly targeted ads and safeguard our elections.

That’s why we called on Facebook to suspend micro-targeted political ads globally.

Here we untangle online micro-targeted advertising and why democracy is healthier without it.

What are micro-targeted political ads?

Political candidates can harness micro-targeted ad tools to send messages to a small slice of the electorate by selecting from a wide array of targeting options and user interests.  

For example, a candidate can target two audiences of voters in a specific city: one group who have “some high school education,” are unemployed, and are interested in gambling; and another group who are high earning college grads, with a new job, who are interested in luxury goods.

Why they're a problem

We need a shared understanding of what candidates and parties stand for to have constructive, honest political debate and fair electoral campaigns. But the highly tailored messages in micro-targeted ads can result in completely different understandings of who the candidates are and what they believe. And when these ads are only seen by a handful of people, their claims are nearly impossible to challenge or fact-check.

By erasing the shared experience of democracy with contradictory — and oftentimes misleading messages — micro-targeted ads threaten the integrity of our elections.

Let's talk transparency

Currently, Facebook provides transparency only around very broad demographic targeting criteria in its ads transparency tools — leaving users in the dark about the very specific demographic and behavioural reasons they are being targeted. Further transparency is required to understand exactly how candidates are using the tool.

The bottom line: Facebook must halt micro-targeted political ads

There's no question that social media is an important way for candidates to reach voters. But as our Director of Policy Emily Sharpe explains, granular targeting of voters undermines the political process.

That's why we urge Facebook to adopt policies that support democracy and uphold our human rights. The integrity of our elections depends on it.