Thursday, August 26, 2010

'Boo' On Facebook & 'Hooray' For Google




Facebook has an ad-filter that allows you to, as you go along, set which ads will appear on your account. You can mark an ad as offensive or misleading, and "Like" an ad that appeals to you.

I received endless disgusting right-wing Glenn Beck ads and marked them all as offensive. Now they have stopped.

Seeing as how this is the case I don't see why Facebook has taken extra measures to ban images of a pot leaf found in the legalization movement's ads from their network.

Google is now accepting the same image ads that include pot leaves.

A Facebook spokeswoman stated that they "don't allow any images of drugs, drug paraphernalia, or tobacco in ad images" and "Just Say Now, the Libertarian Party, and other organizations with similar objectives can continue to advertise on Facebook using different images."

But isn't it interesting the hateful right-wing never has to conform to any such standards to appear on Facebook.

This ban only hurts the message of the legalization movement, and considering that these are clearly political image ads there is no question in my mind about the factor of freedom of speech involved here that Facebook is obviously ignoring at their own peril.

It is one thing if they don't want to advertise head shops, but quite another if they want to put up every racist border rally ad but end up blocking the Prop 19 movement from the same exposure.

This Facebook policy is absolute bull crap, and Google obviously sees an opportunity to take advantage of the near-sightedness of Facebook on this matter.

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