"Progress 2028": Elon Musk Backed Group Posting Fake Pro-Harris Ads On Facebook?'
Washington DC, US: A series of ads that might appear like pro-Harris are spreading falsehood of the Democratic candidate’s current policy positions. The ads include that Harris wants to institute a mandatory gun-buyback program, give Medicare benefits and drivers’ licenses to undocumented immigrants.
The Facebook ads have been viewed by millions of times in swing states. The ads were reported to be posted by an account dubbed as “Progress 2028”.
However, there is no such Harris-aligned initiative as Progress 2028. As per media report, the ads are bankrolled by Building America’s Future, a dark money group. According to a campaign tracking site Open Secrets, the money group was funded by Elon Musk. It is said to be part of more than $100 million, the Tesla owner has spent on aiding the re-election of former President Donald Trump, showed campaign finance records.
Open Secrets also found that the Progress 2028 also sent text messages to potential voters making false claims about Harris’ policy positions with a link to the Progress 2028 web page, which gives the impression it is a group backing Harris.
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The website states that “when Kamala Harris takes office, we will have a never-before-seen opportunity to enact sweeping reforms that will ensure that equity across every corner of America is finally a reality”. It also launches into a series of policy proposals which is far from what the Democratic candidate actually endorse for in the 2024 race.
The ad buys are publicly available in an ad library hosted by Meta. As per the data, the group has posted more than 13 such ads. Meta said the ads has received 8.7 million impressions.
Reportedly, the there is nothing illegal about the ads, as the First Amendment protects political speech, even when they contain lies. However, with only days left for the election, the ads are concerning as it contains potential to lead voters astray.
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Like in 2020, Meta will not allow new political ads to be placed during the week leading up to the November 5 election. However, the ads can still be appear on the platform if it were purchased before the week of the election.
After the November 5, political ads on Meta’s social media platform like Facebook, and Instagram can resume. This is a change from 2020, when such advertising post-election were banned.
At the same time, Google will block election ads after November 5. The move is to tone down any falsehood that might spread during the event that votes are still being counted.
