In a move to combat the spread of misinformation, Meta has decided to extend its ban on new political ads across its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, after Election Day in the United States. The social media giant announced this policy update on Monday, stating that the restriction on new political ads will remain in place "until later this week."

Meta initially implemented this ad restriction period to address the rapid spread of misinformation during the previous presidential election. The company noted that political ads first shown before October 29 would still be allowed to continue running, but with limited editing options for scheduling, budgeting, and bidding. This means that while the restriction remains, organizations with eligible ads can make only minimal adjustments.

Meta said that the reason for maintaining this restriction is to allow time for any new claims made in political ads to be challenged. The policy was also used in the 2020 U.S. election and aims to prevent misinformation from influencing voters at a critical time.

Following Meta's lead, Google’s parent company Alphabet also announced a pause on U.S. election-related ads starting after the last polls close on Election Day, further indicating a growing trend of tech giants taking steps to limit misinformation during key electoral periods.

Data from AdImpact, an advertising analytics firm, reveals that nearly $1 billion was spent on political ads in the last week, mostly focused on down-ballot races across the country. Despite the restriction on new ads, political campaigns and advertisers in regulated sectors have continued to spend heavily, reflecting the intense competition and high stakes of this election season.

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