Facebook advertisers can write their own headlines for shared news stories
Yates, Jeff; Bellemare, Andrea; Rogers, Kaleigh http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/facebook-ads-headlines-1.5283197
Publisher: CBC
Date Written: 16/09/2019
Year Published: 2019
Resource Type: Article
Advertisers on Facebook are able to completely rewrite the displayed headline for news stories, CBC News has learned, opening the door for potential disinformation to spread on the platform while using news media branding as cover.
Abstract:
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Excerpt:
When placing an ad on the platform, one option is to include a link to a website, including links to news stories. The news story's real headline is auto-filled into the ad copy, but advertisers have the option to rewrite the headline. However, the article's website address still appears in the ad, giving the impression that the headline is the one written by the article's author.
This policy raises the possibility that it could be abused by political parties or third-party advertisers during the federal election campaign.
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