Facebook Canada is expanding its effort to protect the integrity of the federal election by adding new tools to improve the transparency of advertising.
An Ad Library will allow users to view who paid for advertising. Ads included in news feeds will be labelled with a "Paid for by" disclaimer which users can click to go to the library. The library will also share information on the ad's performance and demographics.
"It's important that Canadians know more about the ads they see -- especially those related to political, and election-related issues," said a release from the tech giant.
Facebook is currently seeking input from an advisory group of prominent Canadian leaders from diverse political backgrounds. The group includes former NDP deputy leader Megan Leslie, Dean of Faculty of Arts at McGill University Antonia Maioni, Ray Novak who is a former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria David Zussman.
Advertisers will have to confirm their identity before running political or election-related ads, including those that run in favour of a candidate. The tool will also apply to so-called "issue" advertising.
The changes are in line with Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act.
"Understanding the importance of Bill C-76 and what's potentially at stake, we're doing the hard and rigorous work to get our political ads transparency tools right for Canadians," said Kevin Chan, Head of Public Policy at Facebook Canada. "We take the protection of elections on Facebook very seriously, and we are committed to being a force for good in Canadian democracy."