Facebook has quietly rescinded a policy banning false claims in advertising...The social network had previously banned adverts containing “deceptive, false or misleading content"... [But]  the rules have narrowed considerably, only banning adverts that “include claims debunked by third-party fact-checkers, or, in certain circumstances, claims debunked by organisations with particular expertise”... Facebook [has] clarified that only politicians currently in office or running for office, and political parties, are exempt: other political adverts still need to be true... A Facebook spokesman said: “We don’t believe that it’s an appropriate role for us to referee political debates. Nor do we think it would be appropriate to prevent a politician’s speech from reaching its audience and being subject to public debate and scrutiny.”

... Facebook’s decision comes as the rival service TikTok takes the opposite stance... “Any paid ads that come into the community need to fit the standards for our platform, and the nature of paid political ads is not something we believe fits the TikTok platform experience,” wrote Blake Chandlee, the company’s vice-president of global business solutions. “To that end, we will not allow paid ads that promote or oppose a candidate, current leader, political party or group, or issue at the federal, state, or local level – including election-related ads, advocacy ads, or issue ads.”