Social media giant Twitter has just announced that it will no longer feature political ads on its feed, according to Politico.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey made the announcement in a tweet on Wednesday, saying that he believes “political message reach should be earned, not bought.” The new policy will take effect on November 22nd.
The move comes as controversy builds regarding another Big Tech giant, Facebook, allowing political ads on its site despite criticism from both parties. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill in his recent testimony before Congress, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and has been criticized by others such as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Zuckerberg has defended Facebook’s decision to include political ads, rhetorically asking “should we block political ads with false statements? Should we block all political ads?” He further added that “in a democracy, I don’t think it’s right for private companies to censor politicians or the news.”
It has been estimated that up to $6 billion could be spent on political advertisements in the 2020 cycle.