Elon Musk's Twitter all set to reverse the 2019 ban on political ads; All you need to know

Social media networking site Twitter has announced that it is going to relax the bans on Political ads which were imposed in 2019. On January 3, Twitter decided to relax the longstanding ban allowing different political actors and elected officials to resume promotions focussing on a particular cause. After the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk took over Twitter, the company has gone through several policy changes. This decision now comes to light after it was reported that the company is already dealing with a financial crunch. In 2019, the company decided to ban specific forms of Political ads, giving out the reason that political influence should be “earned” rather than “bought”. 

However, on January 3, the social media giant sang a different tune. On the company’s Twitter Safety account, the move was announced with a tweet that read, “We believe that cause-based advertising can facilitate a public conversation around important topics. Today, we're relaxing our ad policy for cause-based ads in the US. We also plan to expand the political advertising we permit in the coming weeks.” The organisation made it clear that Twitter will now align its advertising policy with that of Television and other media outlets. Making it clear that the move is still at a preliminary stage, the company wrote, “As with all policy changes, we will first ensure that our approach to reviewing and approving content protects people on Twitter. We'll share more details as this work progresses.” According to the New York Times, Elon Musk has said in the past that one of his goals after the Twitter takeover is to loosen its rules when it comes to content moderation.

Twitter loosens up its policies as the company faces a financial crisis

The social media networking site is currently facing a financial crunch as reports are emerging that the company is conducting major cost cuts. In the past, the Tesla CEO’s approach towards content moderation has scared several major brands away. Some of them even paused spending on Twitter as they feared that their ads would appear alongside controversial tweets. The move by the big brand led to a sharp decline in the company’s revenue. 

According to the New York Times, the move to relax the political ads on the platform has the potential to open the doors for more revenue. The decision will lure several political actors back onto the platform, especially at a time when different US politicians will start their campaigns for the 2024 presidential elections. The social media company is already dealing with several lawsuits, one of which also indicates the financial condition of the company. Earlier this week, it was reported that the company is facing a lawsuit for not paying its rent for the San Francisco Headquarters, indicating the struggles of the company.