No new political ads will be allowed on Facebook one week before the election. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this decision on Thursday. 

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(Photo : Reutersconnect)

Political ads have become essential to campaign strategies of presidential candidates.

In this modern time, Facebook and other social media sites are used as the primary source to reach millions of voters across the country. In fact, these politicians have their own Facebook pages that either they or their supporters created. 

But on Thursday, Zuckerberg announced that his company would ban new political ads a week before the U.S. elections.

Zuckerberg said that it was a tough decision for the company, but it was made to limit fake news and misinformation that could affect Americans' voting decisions.

He also added that the global pandemic could be used as a platform to catch the voters' attention, especially in the hardest-hit areas. Candidates might give them false promises, and that's what Facebook tries to avoid. 

Zuckerberg is also concerned about the country's unrest, and he believes it could get worst if he does not ban new political ads a week before the election.

The candidates could take advantage of the unrest and protest and blame each other for the country's violence. 

The Facebook CEO did not mention who among the candidates could provide misinformation and fake news. It is either from the Democrats or the Republicans. But one thing is for sure all new political ads from the candidates will be banned on Facebook a week before the election.

According to a published report in ABC News, Zuckerberg believes that the antidote for "a bad speech is more speech." However, he noted that there might not be enough time in the final days before the election to clear up fake news and misleading information.

Meanwhile, the Facebook CEO clarified that all approved ads now will be allowed to run throughout the election cycle.

Facebook also announced on Thursday its plan to highlight its Voting Information Center at the top of Facebook and Instagram that will display video tutorials on how to vote by mail and information on voter registration deadlines for each state.

The social media site would also limit the number of messages that the users can forward on the Messenger App and extend its work on partnering with election officials to remove misinformation about voting. 

"I believe our democracy is strong enough to withstand this challenge and deliver a free and fair election -- even if it takes time for every vote to be counted. We've voted during global pandemics before. We can do this," Zuckerberg said.

He also asserted that everyone should have a part to play in making sure that the Democratic process works and that everyone's voice will be heard during the election.  

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