New Facebook and Instagram Options Let US Users Turn Off Political Ads

facebook iconFacebook is adding the option for users to turn off all political advertising in the Facebook and Instagram apps from today, the company has announced in a blog post.

The option will pop up for users directly on any political ad that appears on the two Facebook-owned platforms. Users will also be able to hide ads by clicking on the advertisement or by accessing a new menu option in either of the app's ad settings.

The new ability to disable political ads will apply to political, electoral, and social issue ads from candidates, Super PACs and other organizations that include the "Paid for by" political disclaimer.

The option will appear immediately for some U.S. users and roll out more broadly in the coming weeks. Facebook says is also plans to make the setting available outside the U.S. in countries where it has enforcement on ads about social issues, elections and politics.


In addition, Facebook says it is ensuring ads are more transparent by making sure the "Paid for by" disclaimers on political ads follow them after they've been shared. It is also allowing anyone who uses the company's Ad Library to track ad spending for Congressional races, rather than just making it available for U.S. presidential campaigns.

Along with the changes to how it manages political ads, Facebook also announced a Voting Information Center that will provide information on how and where to vote, as well as how to register to vote and how to vote by mail. Users can also turn on alerts that will remind them to vote and direct them to polling places when voting begins in November.

facebook voting center
"We've built some of the most advanced systems in the world to combat election interference," said Facebook. "The Voting Information Center will be another line of defense."

In an op-ed published in USA Today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested these efforts were a response to criticisms about the platform's lack of action to curb the spread of misinformation online.

"Everyone wants to see politicians held accountable for what they say — and I know many people want us to moderate and remove more of their content. We have rules against speech that will cause imminent physical harm or suppress voting, and no one is exempt from them. But accountability only works if we can see what those seeking our votes are saying, even if we viscerally dislike what they say.

"Ultimately, I believe the best way to hold politicians accountable is through voting, and I believe we should trust voters to make judgments for themselves. That's why I think we should maintain as open a platform as possible, accompanied by ambitious efforts to boost voter participation."

Facebook says its goal is to register 4 million voters this year using Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, which is double the number of people it believes it helped register in 2016 and 2018.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...

Top Rated Comments

SBlue1 Avatar
66 months ago
political ads should be forbidden because it favors the richer candidates with richer donors. And rich donors kind of make you corrupt since you don’t want to do anything that would make them stop supporting you the next term.

Or at least start by making negative political ads illegal. So many ads try to throw dirt on the opponent. Don’t say why the other candidate is not good. Better say why you are better suited for the job.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
appleguy123 Avatar
66 months ago
The people who most need to turn them off will be the most likely to leave them on.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gleepskip Avatar
66 months ago

If Biden ran an ad showing Trump doing something as President, that is factual. And very good chances it is negative.
Negative ads about Trump is about all he has. The Democrat election is about getting rid of Trump, not grand new visions of what our country could be. It's puzzling to me that the DNC sunk the campaigns of so many candidates that appeared to have vision and handed the party to a white guy with dementia.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wanted797 Avatar
66 months ago
Not sure if I like this.

Sounds good. But it’s Facebook so is more than likely sketchy.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unggoy Murderer Avatar
66 months ago
Sounds like just another way allow echo chambers to become more and more of a problem. "I'm going to turn off political ads, instead, I'll believe all of the tripe that my friends claim from their own skewed point of view!".

Facebook should focus more attention on preventing misinformation from circulating in the first place, or if it does get circulated, make efforts to notify people retroactively it was incorrect. It's all very well marking a post / Tweet as "incorrect" a few hours after it was posted, and after millions have seen it - they'll not go back and see it was flagged.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnipgnop Avatar
66 months ago
Facebook: "We want the money from disinformation campaigns, so we're going to continue to take it while punting the actual responsibility to our users".
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)