Misleading advertisements on Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited, in line with our inappropriate content policy, the social media platform said in a blog post. The announcement was part of its sustainability commitments on the occasion of Earth Day that is observed on April 22, 2022. The platform said that climate denialism should not be monetized on Twitter, and that “misrepresentative ads shouldn’t detract from important conversations about the climate crisis”. Twitter said that its approach is informed by authoritative sources such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment reports. Misleading information about climate change can undermine efforts to protect the planet, it added. This is perhaps the second time that Twitter has imposed a ban on a particular type of advertising after banning political advertising in 2019. It highlights the growing problem of misinformation on the internet which is amplified using ad tools provided by social media platforms. Twitter’s decision can set a precedent for other major platforms who are on the fence. Why did Twitter ban political advertising in 2019? Twitter announced that it would no longer allow political ads on the platform in 2019 on the eve of 2020 US presidential elections. Jack Dorsey, the then CEO of Twitter, reasoned that internet advertising brings “significant risk to politics”. He added that Twitter would focus on issues of machine learning-based messaging optimisation and micro-targeting, unchecked misleading information and deep fakes, without making them more complex with money. Dorsey also called for political ad regulation…
