After nearly four years, Twitter is relaxing its rules on political and cause-based advertising, stating its belief caused-based ads can “facilitate public conversation around important topics”. 

The ban was initially instituted in 2019 by ex-CEO Jack Dorsey, who said paying for political reach “has significant ramifications that today’s democratic infrastructure may not be prepared to handle.”

The policy change comes as major advertisers are still boycotting Twitter after Elon Musk’s acquisition and a few weeks after Musk made news for banning journalists.

The return of political ads could have a huge impact on Twitter and public discourse ahead of the 2024 presidential election. But additional insights into the policy change and when it will be enacted are still unclear.

What does this mean for brands?

• Expect challenges to civic discourse. Dorsey initially created the policy due to concerns over an increase in false or misleading information, including potential exposure to threats like AI- created deepfakes. Although relaxing the policy may slightly ease the financial toll felt from the advertiser boycott that occurred months prior, anticipate new challenges. 

• Remain vigilant. As Twitter continues to roll out changes, keep closely monitoring your account and key audience conversations to see if your priority audiences migrate to another platform.

• Stay informed by following @Twitter. The policy will be lifted in the “coming weeks,” though the exact timeline and details are vague. 

• Establish and enforce your online community standards. As content moderation dwindles on Twitter, brands should lean heavily on their own online public community standards.