News British Government pulls adverts from Facebook

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/08/08/british_govt_pulls_adverts_from_facebook/1

The British government has pulled all of its advertising from the popular social networking site, Facebook.

 

I don't understand, surely advertising to the BNP will make them angry, do something idiotic, and get more BNP members arrested?

What were the ads anyway? The new anti drug ones are quite funny, but the drink-driving one on TV is good.

 

Maybe it's stuff like "join the army!" and they don't want BNP crazies wandering around with guns. Or maybe it's just an old policy.

Either way, I'm kind of surprised Facebook hasn't implemented this already, it can hardly be a massive step to add "do not display advert on any groups that list themselves as 'political'" onto the advert's coding.

 

1984

 

...so, the government won't advertise to people with different political views to them? Now that is one WEIRD bit of logic there, "we will only preach to the converted".

Adverts appearing on the BNP page should not be an issue. There is no connotation of acceptance or condonement in having them there, the money paid for the advertising doesn't go to the BNP. Actually, it seems the perfect way to get a message to BNP supporters.

Money going to a site that facilitates the BNP might be more of an understandable complaint, but would also have uncomfortable freedom of speech connotations... Facebook lets everyone have a page, so reprehensible as the BNP may be, they have a right to a page. All the more reason to use the ads to infiltrate the page a little to try & get messages accross!

 

I believe the companies just don't want to be related to the BNP (I guess its the same for the government...). Here is a link to the bbc article (with quotes from spokesmen/women of the companies explaining their reasons) - doesn't say anything about the government though.

Ed