Facebook has refused to fact-check political ads. The platform also doesn’t restrict how political ads are targeted, meaning politicians have the license to lie on the platform, and it’s difficult for anyone to monitor. Given how loose Facebook’s political ad policies are, it’s no surprise users often tell Facebook “they want the option to see fewer political ads on Facebook and Instagram.”
Since we know Facebook’s Ad Preferences are hard to find, we’ve written instructions on how to turn off political ads for those of you in the US.
On Facebook
- Tap the menu button on the bottom right corner of your News Feed on iOS, top right corner on Android, or the down arrow button on the top right in the browser.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Settings & Privacy
- Tap the Settings button
4. Scroll about halfway down, tap Ad preferences (tap Ads on the left side if you're using a browser)
5. Tap Hide ad topics
6. Tap Social Issues, Elections or Politics
7. In the pop-up menu, tap See fewer ads about this topic.
On a political ad in your feed
- On any political ad you see, tap Confirmed Organization in the top-right corner
- Tap See fewer ads about this topic
In the Instagram app
- In the Instagram app, tap the menu button on the top right corner of your Profile
- Tap the Settings button > Ads > Topics Preferences
- Tap Social Issues, Elections or Politics
- Tap See fewer ads about this topic
- Tap Save.
On a political ad in your Instagram feed
- Tap the Paid for by button on any political ad
- In the pop-up menu, tap See fewer ads like this
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