Facebook has declined to run an ad that criticizes Facebook's new political lobbying group, FWD.us, because it uses CEO Mark Zuckerberg's face.
In a statement, Facebook said it generally rejects “ads that contain Mark’s image because – not surprisingly – in our experience those ads tend to be confusing for users, and frequently misleading. Users may click on the ad thinking it is a message from Mark or from Facebook, not understanding that they are actually in an advertisement seeking to take advantage of Mark’s image.”
The problem is that the ad, from CREDO Mobile, a liberal non-profit fundraising group, isn't just about Zuckerberg's face.
It's about the uncharacteristic new turn Facebook has taken by funding a lobbying group, FWD.us, that supports the Keystone XL gas pipeline that is planned to run from Alaska to the lower 48 United States.
Facebook is funding FWD because it wants to change the law on H-1B immigration visas in order to allow more foreign tech workers into the U.S. To get that deal done, FWD appears to be supporting politicians who need support on the pipeline issue.
The CREDO ad was doubtless an unintended consequence of Facebook's political ambitions.
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