The disclosure requirement is part of Facebook’s transparency initiative in response to the type of fraud that plagued political posts in 2016.

Facebook announced the changes in a blog post on June 13, and it started rolling out to users feeds this week. While it was initially intended to cover only political ads, all publishers were added after it became apparent that groups could pose as “news” publishers.

Here’s an example of how the disclosure works on a regular ad:

 

Facebook Ad Disclosure
Tapping the “i” icon opens up the disclosure section.

And here’s what you see on a political advertisement:

facebook ad disclosures
Political ads show the archive of every ad served to your timeline.

Highlights:

  • Publishers in early for ideas on how best to approach labeling and transparency.
  • Some publishers have asked for exemptions, but Facebook says this goes against the concept of “transparency.”
  • Users will be able to click on a brand’s page and see every ad it is currently promoting on the social network as well as Instagram, Messenger, and the broader Facebook ad network.
  • Political ads will be archived in two sections: Promoted News and Ads With Political Content.

Go deeper:

John