How new Facebook rules for political ads could shape Alberta elections

The new ad transparency tools, as Facebook refers to them, have already been introduced in the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, ostensibly in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in the U.K. and allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.

In the coming months, it will introduce these tools in countries that have imminent elections, including Nigeria, Ukraine and India, followed by a global revamp of its rules by the end of June. Although that change won’t officially be in place by Alberta’s provincial election, Facebook has made it part of its mandate overall to have more rigorous checks and balances in place when it comes to political advertising.

“As we prepare for major elections here in Canada and around the world, we’re continuing our focus on preventing foreign interference and giving people more information about the ads they see across our platforms,” Facebook Canada’s head of public policy, Kevin Chan, said in an emailed statement.

“These tools help ensure that authenticity and transparency are at the core of paid political advertising on Facebook.”

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One rule that has already been implemented in some countries requires political advertisers to confirm their identity and location with government-issued ID in order to place an ad. Furthermore, Facebook has introduced a searchable online archive of ads related to “politics or issues of national importance,” which stores the ads for seven years.

Walter Schwabe, an Edmonton-based digital strategist who has helped clients including the Alberta government with their social-media strategies, said the online archive is a good step in ensuring transparency.

“That’s a good thing. Right then and there, that’s going to increase transparency and accountability for who’s taking out ads,” Schwabe said.

But while Facebook can make it clear that an advertisement is political when it’s an explicit ad for a candidate, things get much more complicated when it comes to Political Action Committees and other groups who advocate for issues that are not directly linked but are related to a candidate’s platform.

“One of the things they’re going to have a real tough time with, and which they will not get right because it’s almost impossible to right now, is the nuance for what a political ad is and what is not,” Schwabe said.

“I don’t have to use, necessarily, the name of the candidate,” he added. “I can pinpoint the issue itself … and I can take a stance, and by extension, be taking a shot at one candidate or another.”

That could take the form of ads advocating Alberta separation, opening up the constitution or reviewing Canada’s equalization formula.

Facebook Canada did not respond to a request for further clarification on the new tools by press time, but Schwabe said some rules he expects to be rolled out globally include only being able to purchase an ad in the country you want the ad to run in and that links have to direct people to a page clearly tied to the original advertisement.

The fact that Facebook has announced the new tools will be in place by end of June in Canada and across the globe is not coincidental. In December, the federal government introduced the new Elections Modernization Act, also known as C-76, which gives Facebook six months to introduce more stringent rules related to political ad transparency.

Peter Ryan, an assistant professor of communication studies at Mount Royal University with a background in political communication, said the new law prohibits third parties, such as Political Action Committees, from using any kind of foreign money for advertising and caps their spending on advertising during an election at $150,000.

“That’s a good step. But what a lot of experts are saying is missing is limits on how much money people can get before an election writ is dropped,” Ryan said. “It seems to be unlimited.”

That concern is applicable to Alberta, where the writ hasn’t officially been dropped but electioneering is already underway. Elections Alberta did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Furthermore, the rules are murky when it comes to interest groups using other means to promote certain election campaigns.

“There are no limits on what third parties can spend on polling, events, canvassing, social media and so on. So that’s a Wild West still of unregulated messages that political parties within Canada can use,” Ryan said.

As for foreign interference, Schwabe contends that because of the global implications of Alberta’s oilsands, entities like OPEC and countries like China are “absolutely” keeping a close eye on the election outcome.

Nexen, a Calgary-based oil-and-gas company with investments in the oilsands, is owned by CNOOC Limited, China’s largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas.

“When it comes to oil in Alberta, you have a global audience, especially for this upcoming provincial election. For people to think the globe isn’t paying attention to who’s going to become the next premier is foolish,” he said.

“I know for a fact that there are other countries that are incredibly invested in understanding what is going to happen. Because there are billions of potential investment, sitting there waiting, that has been rushing out of the province.”

Ryan said interprovincial politics could also come into play, with bilingualism, Indigenous issues and pipeline regulations of particular interest to Quebec and B.C.

“Those could be potentially vulnerable issues,” he said.

As a private company, Facebook is not required to play by the same rules as government entities, but they have a vested interest in appearing trustworthy in order to retain the confidence of both advertisers and users, Ryan said.

And although the new Facebook tools won’t be introduced in time for Alberta’s provincial elections, there are global implications for how social media influences who occupies the corridors of power.

“I think it’s going to clean up some of the malfeasance, it’s going to make it more transparent,” Schwabe said. “Although how transparent, we’ll see in the coming months.”

Correction — January 17, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said candidates are capped at spending $150,000 on advertising during an election. In fact, that limit is for how much third-party groups can spend on advertising during an election.