To bring more transparency to ads and on its pages, Mark Zuckerburg-led social network Facebook has added a new feature called ‘ Info and Ads’.
It will now allow users to view active ads run by any particular page and gain more information about the same.
“This section is designed to bring additional transparency to pages and the ads they’re running”, Facebook said on its blog.
Besides Facebook, people will also be able to view active ads running across Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network.
The social network firm is taking these steps to prevent malpractices in the electoral process, empower people with information and protect them against bad actors, it has added.
According to Facebook, most of the ads on Facebook are run by small businesses looking for new customers, or an advocacy group raising money for their cause, or a politician running for office.
Last year, Lead for SME India, Esme Dean said that Facebook has 65 million businesses pages, while Instagram has 8 million profiles. Around 59 per cent of people on Facebook in India is connected to at least one SMB, Dean added.
The feature will also help mark in rooting out abuse and bad actors. Facebook will add more information to this section in the coming days.
The social networking behemoth has come under intense scrutiny over its data leak and business practices – majorly how its advertising network is used for political purposes.
As per reports, data from millions of users across the globe was shared with Cambridge Analytica. The data was allegedly used to influence the voters for the Republican Party during the US election, it added.
In India, Facebook has about 250 million active users and is the second largest user base for the social networking giant.
