Eleanor Finch
Political advertisements have become an inescapable part of the online experience, with social media platforms and video streaming services increasingly inundated with such ads during election seasons. While some users have resorted to paying for premium ad-free services, others have turned to ad-blockers to combat the onslaught of political messaging. This has led to tech companies taking measures to allow users to block or limit political ads on their platforms. This article will explore the various methods available to stop political ads on different online platforms and the impact of these ads on users.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Social Media Platforms | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube |
| Methods | Ad Blockers, Browser Settings, Paid Subscriptions, Adjusting Ad Preferences, Blocking Callers |
| Tools | Brave Browser, Ghostery, Firefox |
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What You'll Learn
Stopping political ads on YouTube
Political ads on YouTube can be annoying, distracting, and emotionally taxing, especially as an election season approaches. While YouTube aims to show you relevant ads based on your activity, you can take control and minimize or eliminate political ads on the platform. Here are some methods to stop political ads on YouTube:
- Ad Blockers: One of the most effective ways to stop political ads on YouTube is to use an ad blocker. Ad blockers are browser extensions or software that prevent ads from appearing on websites and videos. Popular ad-blocking extensions include uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus, Ghostery, and AdBlocker Ultimate. These tools can be installed on your web browser to block ads across all websites, including YouTube.
- YouTube Ad Settings: Sign in to your YouTube account and access the Ad Settings by clicking on the Account icon in the top right corner and selecting the option from the dropdown menu. Within the Ad Settings, you can customize your Ad Preferences and turn off Political ads. Additionally, YouTube provides an ad filter that allows you to block ads based on categories, such as Politics and Government.
- Mute Ad Feature: YouTube offers a mute ad feature that lets you mute ads on specific videos or channels. When you encounter an ad, click on the Ad icon in the top right corner and select "Mute ad." Then, choose the ad you want to mute. This feature allows you to selectively mute political ads that you find bothersome.
- Stop Seeing This Ad: While watching a video on YouTube, you can click the ⓘ icon in the bottom left corner. This will bring up a dialog box explaining why the ad was displayed. From here, you can click "Stop seeing this ad" and provide feedback on why you don't want to see that particular ad.
By utilizing these methods, you can significantly reduce or eliminate political ads on YouTube and improve your viewing experience.
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Blocking political ads on Facebook
Facebook users can limit or block political ads on the platform by adjusting their Ad settings. In the Facebook app, tap your profile icon and go to Settings & Privacy > Settings. In the Meta Accounts Center, tap Ad preferences. At the Accounts Center screen, select Ad preferences again. Swipe down the screen and tap See all next to Ad topics. Next, tap View and manage topics. Swipe down the list until you see a political topic. Select that topic and then tap See less.
You can also hide individual political ads on your Facebook feed. If you come across a political ad you no longer want to see on your timeline, click the ellipsis icon in the upper right corner of the ad. From the list of options, tap Hide ad. You will then be asked to identify why you want to hide the ad. The next screen may suggest other steps you can take, and you can tap Done when you are finished. However, you can also use this opportunity to block all ads from the same source. Tap the ellipsis icon in the upper right corner of the ad and select Why am I seeing this ad? On the next screen, you can tap Hide all ads from this advertiser to prevent seeing all ads from that source in the future.
In addition to adjusting your Ad settings on Facebook, you can also install an ad-blocking program or browser extension to block ads on Facebook and other websites. Some examples of ad-blocking programs include Total Adblock and antivirus programs that include an ad-blocker feature.
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Hiding political ads on Instagram
As the election cycle amps up, you're likely to see more political ads on your Instagram feed. While Instagram will no longer recommend political posts, you can still expect to see a lot of political ads as the election gets closer. Thankfully, there are ways to prevent these ads from popping up on your feed. Instagram allows you to hide individual political ads or turn off all political ads.
To hide an individual political ad on Instagram, tap the ellipsis icon (three dots) at the top right of the ad and select "Hide Ad". You will then be asked to choose a reason why you don't want to see the ad. After you've selected a reason, the ad will be hidden. You can also turn off all future ads from a particular advertiser by tapping the ellipsis icon, choosing "Why am I seeing this ad?", and then selecting "Hide all ads from this advertiser".
To turn off all political ads on Instagram, go to your profile settings by tapping the profile icon, then tap the hamburger icon (three stacked lines) and go to "Accounts Center > Ad preferences". Swipe down the "Ad preferences" screen and tap "See all" next to "Ad topics". Then, tap "View and manage topics" and swipe down the list until you see a political topic. Select that topic and tap "See less".
Alternatively, you can access ad preferences by tapping the menu button (three stacked bars) in the Instagram app, tapping "Settings", and then tapping "Ad Topics Preferences". Tap the "Social Issues, Elections or Politics" option so that it turns blue, and then tap "Save". With this setting enabled, you will see fewer political ads on Instagram.
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Limiting political ads on Twitter
Twitter has become one of the most popular social media platforms, connecting millions of people worldwide. While its wide reach makes it an appealing platform for businesses to advertise their products and services, the constant bombardment of ads can be overwhelming for many users. Twitter offers advertisers several options to reach their audiences, including Promoted Tweets, Promoted Accounts, and Promoted Trends. Promoted Tweets are sponsored messages that appear in users' timelines, search results, or relevant Twitter accounts. Promoted Accounts are suggestions for users to follow specific accounts that align with their interests. Promoted Trends display targeted hashtags in the "Trends" section of Twitter. While Twitter tries to ensure that the ads shown are relevant and useful to users, they can still be intrusive or uninteresting.
In 2022, Twitter announced that it would no longer allow political advertisements on its platform. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defined political ads as those sponsored by candidates or that discussed political issues. Advertisements that discuss elections, candidates, parties, and overtly political content would be prohibited. Twitter users can now toggle off political ad content in their ad settings, allowing them to filter out ads related to politics and social issues. This decision was made to address concerns about the role of social media in politics and the spread of misinformation. However, some critics argue that the ban on political ads may have negative consequences for democracy, as it limits the ability of citizens and organizations to express their views and support or oppose candidates.
It is important to note that even if you disable personalized ads on Twitter, you may still encounter generic ads. These ads will not be tailored to your specific interests or online behavior. Twitter does not currently offer a feature to hide ads from specific industries or topics, but you can provide feedback on ads you don't like, which can help improve its ad algorithms. Additionally, the settings for blocking or disabling ads are specific to the device and account you are using. If you have multiple devices or accounts, you will need to customize the ad settings for each one individually.
To limit political ads on Twitter, you can follow these steps:
- Access your Twitter account settings by tapping on your profile icon.
- Go to the "Ad preferences" section. This may be located under "Settings & Privacy" or "Accounts Center", depending on your device and Twitter's interface at the time.
- Swipe down the "Ad preferences" screen and tap "See all" next to "Ad topics."
- Tap "View and manage topics," then look for a political topic in the list.
- Select the political topic and tap "See less" to reduce the number of political ads you see.
By following these steps, you can minimize the appearance of political ads on your Twitter feed and have a more enjoyable experience on the platform.
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Using ad-blockers to stop political ads
Ad-blockers are a great way to stop political ads from infiltrating your social media feeds and interrupting your online experience. While you can adjust your ad preferences on social media platforms, this may not always be effective, and it can be time-consuming to manually hide each unwanted political ad that appears.
AdLock is one such ad-blocker that can be used to block political ads. AdLock is available as a Chrome extension, as well as a comprehensive desktop solution for Windows and macOS. It operates outside your browser, intercepting political ads at the system level before they load. This makes it harder for websites to detect and block.
To use AdLock, simply download the extension or software, install it, and activate it with a single click.
In addition to ad-blockers, you can also utilize the ad settings on social media platforms to reduce the number of political ads you see. For example, on Facebook, tap your profile image, go to "Settings & Privacy", then "Settings", and finally, "Ad Preferences" in the Meta Accounts Center. From there, you can swipe down and tap "See All" next to "Ad Topics", then tap "View and Manage Topics". Scroll down the list until you see a political topic and select "See Less".
You can also hide individual political ads on Facebook by clicking the ellipsis icon in the upper right corner of the ad and selecting "Hide Ad". This will also give you the option to hide all future political ads.
On Twitter, when you see a political ad, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select "Report Ad". Choose "Political" as your reason for reporting and you can also select to block the advertiser's account.
By using a combination of ad-blockers and adjusting your ad preferences on social media platforms, you can significantly reduce the number of political ads you are exposed to.
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Frequently asked questions
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all allow you to turn off political ads, either by blocking them as they appear or from your account's ad settings. You can also use an ad blocker like Ghostery as an extension on desktop browsers and on a couple of mobile browsers.
If you see an ad on Facebook that you don’t like or don’t want to see again, you can hide it by clicking on the three dots icon in the top right corner of the ad and selecting “Hide ad”. You can also go to Settings & Privacy > Settings, click See more in Accounts Center > Ad preferences > Ad topics, and toggle off the topics you want to block.
If you find a political ad on Twitter, tap the ellipsis icon and select Block followed by the name of the account. To block any such future ads, tap the "Not interested in this ad" option.
