There has been mounting pressure on social media companies for greater transparency, following revelations over who is behind political advertising campaigns and how they target us.
Claims that Cambridge Analytica used data gathered from millions of Facebook profiles, and that Russia-backed advertising influenced the US presidential election, have led to fears that political campaigning on social media could be a threat to democracy.
In Ireland, there have already been complaints from local groups that foreign campaigners with big budgets were trying to sway the vote.
Whether or not foreign entities really do have the power to unduly influence election results is unclear.
But recent scandals have shown that allowing political advertising on social media to go unchecked risks undermining confidence in the result and can leave the public feeling manipulated.
This latest move from Google and Facebook shows social media companies are now prepared to play a much more proactive role.
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