Political Advertising and How it Works

How are candidates reaching you?

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So, there you are, scrolling through the TV or listening to the radio on your commute, and all of a sudden, you hear a political ad. That’s totally normal in the run-up to the election. But, online it’s a completely different ballgame.

Political parties can use online ads to reach specific kinds of people. You might be chosen as the audience for an ad because you live in a community that usually votes a certain way. Or your age or gender indicates a concern about an issue, and the party wants to tell you about their plan to fix it. You might also be targeted based on what you’ve previously clicked on or liked. You may see different political ads than your friends or family.

Sounds a little intrusive, right?

You might want to know why you’re being shown an ad. Thanks to a new law passed in Canada, you can! Here’s how:

 

Download the Who Targets Me extension

to keep track of all the political ads in your Facebook feed; see who paid for them and reasons why you were targeted.

Visit Facebook and PostMedia Ad Libraries

Social media platforms and news sites are publishing an “ad library,” a web page where you’ll be able to find every political ad that is being shown on that website, who paid for them, and in some cases, who has been targeted.