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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 11 January 2020
Facebook again refuses to ban political ads, even false ones

By BARBARA ORTUTAY and and a different ad to ev-
MAE ANDERSON eryone else.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google, the digital ads
Despite escalating pressure leader, decided in Novem-
ahead of the 2020 presi- ber to limit political-ad tar-
dential election, Facebook geting to just three broad
reaffirmed its freewheeling categories — sex, age and
policy on political ads Thurs- location, such as ZIP code.
day, saying it won't ban Under Google's policy,
them, won't fact-check candidates would be free
them and won't limit how to show immigration ads
they can be targeted to next to immigration-related
specific groups of people. stories only; they wouldn't
Instead, Facebook said it be able to show ads to
will offer users slightly more just Democrats or Repub-
control over how many licans, or target people
political ads they see and specifically interested in
make its online library of po- immigration when they're
litical ads easier to browse. reading about baseball or
These steps appear unlike- Beyonce.
ly to assuage critics — in- Google said that approach
cluding politicians, activ- aligns its policies with those
ists, tech competitors and of other media such as
some of the company's This Jan. 17, 2017, file photo shows a Facebook logo at Station F in Paris. print, TV and radio.
own rank-and-file employ- Associated Press Jason Kint, CEO of Digi-
ees — who say that Face- tal Content Next, a trade
book has too much power presidential candidate Joe geted Biden. ads. group that represents digi-
and that social media is Biden. Facebook has repeatedly For instance, they can use tal publishers, said Google's
warping democracy and Social media companies insisted it won't fact-check information gleaned from ban on microtargeting is
undermining elections. have been trying to tackle political ads. CEO Mark voter rolls, such as political much better than Face-
And Facebook's stance misinformation since it was Zuckerberg has argued affiliation, and try to reach book's permissive stance.
stands in contrast to what learned that Russians bank- that "political speech is just those people. Or they Making sure ads reach a
its rivals are doing. Google rolled thousands of fake important" and that Face- can narrow the target au- wider, more diverse group
has decided to limit target- political ads during the book doesn't want to inter- dience to those who have of people can enable the
ing of political ads, while 2016 elections to sow dis- fere with it. Critics say that shown interest in guns, public and the press to see,
Twitter is banning them out- cord among Americans. stance gives politicians a abortion or immigration, debate and correct claims
right. The fears go beyond for- license to lie. based on what the user in them, he said.
"Today's announcement eign interference. In recent TV stations and networks has read or talked about "Sunlight is the best disinfec-
is more window dressing months, Facebook, Twitter aren't required to fact- on Facebook. Candidates tant," he said.
around their decision to al- and Google refused to re- check ads either, but social might even show one ad to Facebook said in a blog
low paid misinformation," move a misleading video media gives candidates young Democratic women post Thursday that it con-
said Bill Russo, a campaign ad from President Donald a certain advantage: the interested in both gun con- sidered limiting microtar-
spokesman for Democratic Trump's campaign that tar- ability to "microtarget" their trol and climate change, geting for political ads. q

Google legal chief leaving amid sexual misconduct troubles

By BARBARA ORTUTAY he said he "never started" misconduct allegations.
AP Technology Writer a relationship with anyone Drummond said Page and
David Drummond, the le- else at Alphabet. Brin asked for his help more
gal chief of Google par- The company said Drum- than 20 years ago when
ent company Alphabet, is mond is not getting an what became Google
leaving at the end of the exit package as part of his and Alphabet was just an
month, following accusa- departure. His compensa- unincorporated startup.
tions of inappropriate rela- tion package for 2018 was Drummond joined Google
tionships with employees. worth $47 million, making full time in 2002 and was
Alphabet did not give a him one of the company's named chief legal officer
reason for Drummond's de- highest-paid employees, in 2006.
parture in a short regula- according to regulatory fil- Drummond's departure
tory filing Friday. ings. comes as Alphabet, like
The company said in No- In this Dec. 3, 2009 file photo, David Drummond, Senior Vice In a memo sent to employ- other big tech companies,
vember that its board was President and Chief Legal officer of Google, addresses the 62nd ees, Drummond said that faces regulatory presures
investigating sexual mis- World Newspaper Congress in Hyderabad, India. with founders Larry Page around the world. Last
conduct cases against Associated Press and Sergey Brin "now leav- March, Europe's antitrust
executives. Claims against ing their executive roles at regulators ordered it to pay
Drummond were included The board investigation fol- Google employee, Jenni- Alphabet, the company is 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 bil-
in the investigations. lowed lawsuits brought by fer Blakely, published a re- entering an exciting new lion) for freezing out rivals in
Thousands of Google em- shareholders after reports port of her relationship with phase, and I believe that the online advertising busi-
ployees walked out of of sexual harassment at Drummond. Drummond it's also the right time for me ness. It also faces antitrust
work in 2018 to protest the Google received national has acknowledged a re- to make way for the next probes in the U.S. as law-
company's handling of attention. lationship with Blakely. But generation of leaders." makers question its power
sexual misconduct claims. Last August, a former in a statement at the time, He did not mention the and dominance.q