Mobile app Snapchat has launched a new library containing political and issue-based ads in preparation for the 2020 US presidential election.
The political ads library will be available for download as a spreadsheet on Snap's website for the first time after Facebook and Twitter launched their own ad archives. These initiatives were launched following the issue of Russia-linked ads and misinformation campaigns on social media in the 2016 US presidential election and due to pressure from federal legislators for increased transparency from technology companies.
In 2017, Snapchat conducted an audit of its political ads sales during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and found no red flags.
Snap's ad archives will feature information, such as the name and address of who paid for the ads as well as the run date, money spent, ad impressions, and the demographic targeted. The library will contain 2018 ads but will also feature an ongoing archive for 2019, which will include ads sold and run globally.
According to a Snap spokesperson, the company's political and issue-based ads are still reviewed by humans and according to its political ad policies, these issues include abortion, immigration, the environment, education, discrimination and guns.
Snap has recently made investments to make it a source for political news and a campaign tool for candidates, including the launch of a dedicated news channel for 2020 debates. and the shift from weekly to daily programming of its political news show "Good Luck America," hosted by former CNN correspondent Peter Hamby.
The Snapchat app is currently being used by all leading 2020 presidential candidates, including President Donald Trump. They share photos and videos from the campaign trail on their accounts and Democratic candidates like Andrew Yang and Elizabeth Warren even sell campaign merchandise through it.
In July, the company reported that it reached 200 million daily active users in the second quarter of the year and is expected to experience further growth in users as it attempts to reach profitability.
