Facebook To Scrutinize Political Adverts From Kenya Ahead Of General Elections

Facebook parent company, Meta, has announced it will require owners of political advertisements In Kenya to provide their real identity as proof before publishing the ads on the platform including Instagram.

Meta says the tools and resources which target political ads ahead of the 2022 general election slated for August 9, 2022, are meant to enhance elections integrity and transparency in political advertising.

This is expected to help voters know who is behind the political ads they see on Facebook and Instagram while equipping political advertisers with key resources to reach and engage their supporters and potential voters throughout the election period.

Meta says advertisers seeking to run political ads in Kenya will undergo a verification process to prove who they are and that they live in the country.

Meta will then run additional checks to ensure compliance with its policies. Political ads in Kenya will also be labelled with a “Paid for by” disclaimer to show who’s behind the ad.

Additionally, the firm will put political ads that run in Kenya on its Ads Library in order to be seen ensure voters are able to see what ads are running, information about targeting, and how much was spent.

Meta Public Policy Director for East and Horn of Africa Mercy Ndegwa said the fully searchable archive will store the ads for seven years.

“Meta has continued to invest in technology towards election integrity. We believe political discussion and debate should be transparent to every voter, which is why over the past few years we’ve introduced a number of tools that provide more information about political ads on Facebook and Instagram,” said Ndegwa.

Meta announced last year that it was rolling out new controls so that people can choose to see fewer social issues, electoral, and political ads.

When people use these controls, they’ll no longer see ads that run with a “Paid for by” disclaimer, said the firm.