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You can’t understand a message unless you know who the target audience is.
Like, these ads from “America Progress Now”—a shady and allegedly law-breaking Facebook page that was boosting Green Party candidates in swing states in 2018.
What was the goal? Find out downthread —>
Like, these ads from “America Progress Now”—a shady and allegedly law-breaking Facebook page that was boosting Green Party candidates in swing states in 2018.
What was the goal? Find out downthread —>
Facebook doesn’t publish information like that, about 𝑤ℎ𝑜 an ad targets. We can only get it through crowdsourcing — through Quartz’s Political Ad Collector tool.
If “America Progress Now” were to spring up again in 2020, we’d need your help to find out the answer.
You can help us out by installing a tool in your web browser. Here's how:
You can help us out by installing a tool in your web browser. Here's how:
1—Install the Political Ad Collector on Chrome/Firefox (on your computer!) https://qz.com/in/political-ad-collector/
2—Consent to data collection
3—Browse Facebook normally
Now, you’ll automatically be contributing the ads you see on FB—plus how they were microtargeted— for our investigations
2—Consent to data collection
3—Browse Facebook normally
Now, you’ll automatically be contributing the ads you see on FB—plus how they were microtargeted— for our investigations
We collect just the ad and FB’s explanation of how it was targeted — like in the picture. You won’t be sending us your name, your phone number, your photos or your friends’ posts. 
Your personal information is totally safe.
Your personal information is totally safe.
The ads from America Progress Now were targeted to liberal Democrats. We don’t know who was paying for them—but it’s a fair guess that it was a conservative group, trying to siphon off a few votes that would’ve otherwise gone to Democrats. (The local Greens hadn’t heard of APN.)
We could only learn that because participants in the Political Ad Collector project were shown the ads — and contributed them to the project’s database. Help us out?
Those America Progress Now ads? They’re the subject of a lawsuit from @campaignlegal, since the Federal Election Commission hasn’t taken any action to figure out who’s behind the ads. https://qz.com/1810310/suit-aims-to-reveal-whos-behind-a-shadowy-facebook-campaign/
PS please install the ad collector :-) https://qz.com/in/political-ad-collector/
