The technology giant Google has joined Facebook and Twitter and has published its database of political ads in the US, as requested by the US legislator, who proposed to regulate this type of online advertising after Russia’s intervention in the 2016 elections.
The database contains only federal election announcements, so you will not find any ads purchased for local candidates. In this sense, the database contains all political ads purchased on or after May 31, 2018, for display on Google or YouTube.
According to Google, this database is updated weekly, and the data in the list range from who paid for the ad, how many impressions they received or how long they were on the Internet, to how much money was spent on advertising. The company also said it will include a section on “Political Advertising” in its transparency report, which is also updated weekly.
Unlike the social networks Twitter and Facebook, this database does not contain thematic ads, such as those that address political issues without being paid for by political organizations, such as immigration or abortion. However, the company has announced that it will consider adding in the future.
In addition to the name of the organization that paid for the ad, Google will provide the organization’s Federal Election Commission (FEC) identification number and a link to its page on the FEC website. The company also said that all this information will be available in Google Cloud’s big query so that third parties can download the data and create new research reports.
According to Reuters, the fundraising organization for President Donald Trump,’Trump Make America Great Again’, is the leading US publicist on the list with an investment of $629,000 in advertising.
Finally, the company said it is currently working with experts from the US and around the world to learn more about political announcements than merely reflecting candidate announcements. In this sense, there is the question of social inequality, white supremacy, terrorism, etc.