'A Bold Decision': 3 Takes On Twitter's Ban On Political Ads

Social media company Twitter Inc TWTR said Wednesday it won't accept political advertisements on its platform — and rival Facebook, Inc. FB was quick to confirm that it won't be following suit. Here's how experts reacted. 

'Move In the Right Direction'

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey deserves credit for banning political ads, and it marks a "move in the right direction," Peter Kauffman, founder of political consulting firm Bluejacket Strategies, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday.

Political ads in general are hypertargeted and can generate support quickly, he said. 

"I don't think this is going to make a big difference on Twitter's bottom line. I think it's a tremendous PR move without real impact on their revenue." 

Chopra: Effectiveness Of Move Unclear 

Aneesh Chopra, president of CareJourney, also said on "Squawk Box" that Dorsey deserves credit for moving Twitter's platform in the right direction.

What comes next is unclear, as key questions remain unanswered, such as what constitutes political advertising or what constitutes harm, he said. 

Twitter and other social media platforms need to come together to self-regulate and agree on set definitions, Chopra said. Otherwise it will be "one platform against another" with no material progress, he told CNBC. 

Ulanoff: 'A Bold Decision' 

Twitter faces pressure from outsiders to ensure it is "giving everyone the right amount of space," and banning political ads will remove the company from the spotlight, Lance Ulanoff, Lifewire.com editor-in-chief, said during a Fox Business interview Wednesday. Twitter's decision also removes a source of revenue from ads, he said. 

"I can't imagine that people who invest in Twitter are happy about it," Ulanoff said. "But it's a bold decision by Jack [Dorsey]."

Twitter shares were down 1.37% at $29.45 at the time of publication Thursday. 

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Posted In: NewsPoliticsMediaGeneralAneesh ChopraCNBCelectionsFox BusinessLance UlanoffPeter Kauffman
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