Facebook moves to counter election interference

OTTAWA — Facebook is launching a new advertisement library that will capture detailed information about political ads targeted at voters in Canada, including who pays for them and whom they target.

The move is part of the socialmedia giant’s response to changes the federal government has made to Canada’s election laws aimed at stopping bad actors — foreign or domestic — from interfering with Canada’s Oct. 21 federal election through advertising.

Bill C-76, which received royal assent in December, bans the use of money from foreign entities to conduct partisan campaigns.

It also requires online platforms, such as Facebook and Google, to create a registry of all digital advertisements placed by political parties or third parties during the pre-writ and writ periods and to ensure they remain visible to the public for two years.

Google recently said the demands of the new law are too onerous for its advertising system, which auctions ad space on the fly. It’s simply refusing to take political advertisements in Canada around the upcoming election.

Kevin Chan, head of public policy in Canada for Facebook, said the company is trying to exceed the standards the Canadian law sets.

“C-76 is, in fact, very important and consequential legislation. It actually regulates online platforms, including Facebook,” Chan said.