INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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Snapchat will moderate and allow political ads on its platform
Snapchat's CEO Evan Spiegel
has said the company will fact-check political ads on its platform.The announcement comes as other tech giants face criticism for their
policies ahead of the 2020 US presidential elections
Facebook has said that it will not fact-check political ads, while Twitter has banned them altogether
Mr Spiegel said Snapchat tried to "create a place" for ads in order to engage young people in politics
All campaign ads will be checked by a dedicated team at Snapchat, he told the news broadcaster CNBC on Monday
In September, Facebook made it clear it would not be fact-checking political adverts ahead of the election
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the platform would treat all posts by politicians as "newsworthy content" that should "be seen and
heard".The company has since come under fire from politicians in Washington, and partially reversed its stance by taking down fake content
posted by one political candidate
Twitter's chief executive Jack Dorsey announced last month that the platform would ban all political ads, rather than moderate them
He said in a tweet that the reach of political messages "should be earned, not bought".However, Twitter clarified this policy last week,
saying that while ads by candidates, political parties or elected government officials are not allowed, advertising by vetted news
publishers will be permitted
Snapchat publishes a record of political and advocacy ads that have been run on its platform
According to the data from 2019, the presidential campaigns that have bought advertisements on the platform include:US presidential
candidate Joe Biden's campaign, which has spent $1,175 (£908) on three ads with 281,894 views.US presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's
campaign, which has spent $35,618 on 39 ads with 8,079,020 views
US presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's campaign, which has spent $27,192 on 42 ads with 6,790,387 views
The Democratic National Committee has spent $630 on four ads, which have gained 147,894 views.
