Facebook backs political ad bill, sets limits on 'issue ads'
Facebook Inc backed for the first time on Friday proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads and introduced a new verification process for people buying "issue" ads, which have been used to sow discord online.
The change in stance, announced in a Facebook post by Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, comes a few days before he is scheduled to answer questions in congressional hearings about how the company handles its users' data.
The steps are designed to deter the kind of election meddling and online information warfare that US authorities have accused Russia of pursuing, Zuckerberg said. Moscow has denied the allegations.
"Election interference is a problem that's bigger than any one platform, and that's why we support the Honest Ads Act," Zuckerberg wrote in his post.
