FACEBOOK Removes Warren 'Breakup FACEBOOK' Ads…

Facebook takes down Elizabeth Warren ads calling for breakup of Facebook

The affected ads, which included a video, directed users to a petition on Elizabeth Warren’s campaign website urging them “to support our plan to break up these big tech companies.” | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Technology

By CRISTIANO LIMA

03/11/2019 06:32 PM EDT

Facebook has removed several ads placed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign that called for the breakup of Facebook and other tech giants.

The ads, which had identical images and text, touted Warren’s recently announced plan to unwind “anti-competitive” tech mergers, including Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram.

Story Continued Below

“Three companies have vast power over our economy and our democracy. Facebook, Amazon, and Google,” read the ads, which Warren’s campaign had placed Friday. “We all use them. But in their rise to power, they’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field in their favor.”

A message on the three ads reads: “This ad was taken down because it goes against Facebook’s advertising policies.”

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the ads had been taken down and said the company is reviewing the matter. The person said, according to an initial review, that the removal could be linked to the company’s policies about using Facebook’s brand in posts.

Technology news from Washington and Silicon Valley — weekday mornings, in your inbox.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

A representative for Warren’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment after POLITICO noticed that the ads had been removed.

More than a dozen other Facebook ads from Warren about her tech proposal were not affected.

The Massachusetts Democrat has staked out an aggressive stance toward Silicon Valley’s biggest companies, going further than many of the other Democratic 2020 candidates.

The affected ads, which included a video, directed users to a petition on Warren’s campaign website urging them “to support our plan to break up these big tech companies.”

The ads were limited in size and reach, with each costing under $100, according to disclosure details listed online.

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox.

By Jack Shafer

By Adam Wren

By Renato Mariotti

By Jack Shafer