Political content FAQs

Policy

Which countries allow Political Ads?

Our Political Content policy is updated and mentions the countries where Political Content ads and Political Campaigning ads are permitted along with restrictions on such, as applicable.

Are ads related to legislation or regulations allowed?

Ads related to legislation or regulations are allowed in countries where Political Ads are permitted. 

For countries where Political Ads are prohibited, ads cannot reference past, current, or proposed referenda, ballot measures, bills, legislation, regulation, directives, judicial outcomes, or any country-specific equivalents.

Do royalties fall under this policy? 

This policy applies to all individuals who are elected or appointed officials, along with the additional listed categories. 

Are salutations or forms of allegiance to royalties allowed under this policy? 

Yes, cultural customs and local protocols to show allegiance or provide salutations do not fall under this policy.

Do spouses of candidates, elected, or appointed government officials fall under this policy?

Spouses of candidates, elected, or appointed government officials will be considered based on regional context. In the United States, the First and Second Spouses are considered political under the policy.

There are many different types of ad units on X. Which ones does this new policy apply to?

This policy applies to all our promoted revenue products on X.

Are references to political events allowed under this policy? 

Yes, references to historical events or national events are allowed. While permitted, such content should comply with all other policies including the Policies for Keyword Targeting and Policies for Conversion Tracking and Custom Audiences.

For countries where Political Ads are prohibited, advertisers need to ensure that the content is not associated with any of the prohibited political content categories (candidates, political parties, or elected or appointed government officials, referendum, ballot measure, legislation, regulation, directive, or judicial outcome).

Does this policy have any exceptions besides News Publishers?

In limited cases, X has approved Electoral Regulators to promote informational content about election results within their jurisdictions. X believes this content supports election integrity efforts and serves the public conversation.

How can people request information about political ads served on X?

For the U.S.:In order to give the public an opportunity to find out details about all political campaigning ads running on our platform, users can request a disclosure report online via this form.

Certification

What should advertisers do before promoting political campaigning ads?

Advertisers must be certified prior to run political campaigning ads. 

You can apply for certification through below forms:

  • United States: Apply for pre-approval through this form.
  • All other markets: Apply for pre-approval through this form.
Do advertisers that simply mention political content need to get certified?

No, advertisers promoting ads that mention political content but aren’t advocating for or against a candidate or political party and don’t appeal directly for votes or financial support in an election, referendum, or ballot measure don’t need to apply for certification in countries where Political Content ads are permitted.

When can advertisers expect a response on their political campaigning certification application?

The current timeframe for responding to political campaigning ads certification applications is roughly 1-3 business days.

Enforcement

How will people be able to report ads that may be in violation of this policy?

People can report content in the X timeline or through this Help Center form. X will prioritize and review reported content. 

Does the landing page need to comply with the policy?

Yes, an ad’s landing page must comply with our Ads Policies.

How often can an advertiser violate this policy before becoming permanently suspended? 

Our decision to offboard any advertiser is based on a series of factors including, but not limited to, how many times the advertiser violates a policy, which policies they violate, and the time frame over which their violations occur. 

News Exemption 

Do news publishers have restrictions?

Yes, ads promoted by news publishers may not include advocacy for or against topics or advertisers covered under our Political Content Policy. In addition to X Ads policies, news exempt advertisers must comply with applicable laws regarding disclosure and content requirements, eligibility restrictions, and blackout dates for the countries where they advertise. Advertisers exempted prior to this policy change in November 2019 do not need to apply again and may operate as usual.

Does the monthly unique visitors (MUV) threshold vary per country? 

There is a different threshold for global or country-level targeting. To advertise globally, the publication’s website must have at least 3 million monthly unique visitors worldwide. To advertise within a particular country, the publication’s website must have at least 100,000 monthly unique visitors.

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