Should Facebook Ads Be Regulated Like TV Commercials?

Last week, Facebook disclosed to congressional investigators that it sold $100,000 worth of advertisements to a troll farm connected to the Kremlin surrounding the U.S. presidential election. These advertisements, which targeted voters with divisive political content, added even more evidence of Russia’s attempts to meddle with the election. But they also contributed to a larger conversation about free speech in an era where social-media posts replace political pamphlets and the public square has increasingly moved into cyberspace.

Tech giants like Facebook are largely left to decide for themselves how to arbitrate what is said on their platforms: what speech is permissible or not, whether to flag propaganda or not, and how to regulate advertisements. While, across mediums, it is illegal for foreigners to financially influence