{"id":23715,"date":"2025-07-29T19:39:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/?p=23715"},"modified":"2025-07-29T20:11:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T20:11:31","slug":"polidashboard-launches-major-update-to-advance-transparency-in-political-advertising-on-facebook-and-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/2025\/07\/29\/polidashboard-launches-major-update-to-advance-transparency-in-political-advertising-on-facebook-and-instagram\/","title":{"rendered":"PoliDashboard Launches Major Update to Advance Transparency in Political Advertising On Facebook and Instagram"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>July 25, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Toronto, ON<\/strong> \u2014 The <strong>Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University<\/strong> is pleased to announce a major update to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/polidashboard.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PoliDashboard.org<\/a><\/strong>, a free public web app that enhances transparency around paid political advertising on Meta\u2019s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/polidashboard.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Landing-Page-July-2025.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23716\" style=\"width:432px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Landing-Page-July-2025.png 790w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Landing-Page-July-2025-300x253.png 300w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Landing-Page-July-2025-768x647.png 768w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Landing-Page-July-2025-696x587.png 696w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Landing-Page-July-2025-498x420.png 498w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PoliDashboard collects and visualizes real-time data from Meta\u2019s Ad Library to reveal who is placing ads about politics, elections and social issues, how much they\u2019re spending, and which audiences are being targeted. The dashboard features ad data from over 35 major countries, with more on the way. It is designed to empower journalists, watchdog organizations, researchers, and voters to explore and understand patterns in political messaging and campaign strategies across multiple countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This latest update is designed to increase accountability and reduce the risk of manipulation of political ads by both foreign and domestic actors. It delivers powerful new features and performance upgrades aimed at deepening public insight into the use of targeted online ads:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. AI-Generated Ad Summaries<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We integrated a new <strong>AI Ads Summarizer<\/strong> into Polidashboard\u2019s word cloud module. Users can now access clear, natural language summaries of the messages and themes in ads for any advertiser in our database, saving time and making it easier to decipher an advertiser\u2019s aim.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"736\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23717\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer.png 736w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-300x281.png 300w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-696x653.png 696w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-448x420.png 448w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"709\" height=\"845\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-2.png 709w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-2-252x300.png 252w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-2-696x830.png 696w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Summarizer-2-352x420.png 352w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. New Semantic Search<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.polidashboard.org\/meta_ads?country=ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"747\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Semantic-Search.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Semantic-Search.png 747w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Semantic-Search-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Semantic-Search-696x372.png 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We&#8217;ve introduced a new AI-powered <strong>Semantic Search<\/strong> feature, a cutting-edge tool that lets you explore our ad database by meaning rather than just keywords. Search for a topic or phrase, and we\u2019ll surface advertisers whose ad copy is semantically similar, even if they don\u2019t use the exact same wording. This is ideal for uncovering:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Advertisers with shared political messaging or framing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coordinated ad campaigns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thematic patterns across seemingly unrelated organizations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Advanced Data Filtering<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We have added new ways to sort and filter ad data.&nbsp; Users can now filter political advertisers by <strong>spending levels, audience demographics, and location<\/strong>. This makes it easier to spot high-spending campaigns, regional targeting strategies, and outreach efforts aimed at specific demographic groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.polidashboard.org\/meta_ads?country=ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"925\" height=\"242\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Filters.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Filters.png 925w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Filters-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Filters-768x201.png 768w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Filters-696x182.png 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Enhanced Demographics Visualization with Interactive Demographic Drilldowns<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Our box plot visualization of advertiser demographics has been redesigned for clarity. Male and female audience stats are now displayed separately, enabling easy comparison across gender lines. This gives users a sharper view of how campaign messages are targeted differently.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Every black dot on the demographics box plot now tells a story. Clicking on one reveals a bar chart showing the detailed demographic breakdown of the selected ad&#8217;s audience and a direct link to the ad itself. This makes it easier than ever to explore how specific messages are tailored to\u2014and received by\u2014different voter groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.polidashboard.org\/meta_ads?country=ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"748\" height=\"834\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module.png 748w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-269x300.png 269w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-696x776.png 696w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-377x420.png 377w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.polidashboard.org\/meta_ads?country=ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"741\" height=\"835\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-DrillDown.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-DrillDown.png 741w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-DrillDown-266x300.png 266w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-DrillDown-696x784.png 696w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/PoliDashboard-Demographic-Module-DrillDown-373x420.png 373w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. Infrastructure Overhaul<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We&#8217;ve completely overhauled our data infrastructure. PoliDashboard now runs on a PostgreSQL back end, offering faster queries, improved relational data handling, and greater scalability. This change lays the groundwork for deeper analytics and a smoother user experience across the platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why It Matters<br><\/strong>Transparency in digital political advertising is essential for a healthy democracy. Without oversight, targeted ads can spread misinformation or manipulate public opinion in ways that are hard to detect or trace. By making the hidden world of digital campaigning visible, PoliDashboard helps hold political actors accountable and provides the public with tools to understand how influence operates in today\u2019s online political environment. These updates reflect our continued commitment to transparency, usability, and empowering researchers, journalists, and voters alike. More enhancements are on the way\u2014stay tuned!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To explore the updated platform, visit: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/polidashboard.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PoliDashboard.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Media Contact<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Philip Mai &lt;info@socialmedialab.ca&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Social Media Lab<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm.jpg 512w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-420x420.jpg 420w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-270x270.jpg 270w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-192x192.jpg 192w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cropped-SMLabTo_logo_sm-32x32.jpg 32w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Social Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research center at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. It examines how social media and other digital technologies are transforming the way people and organizations communicate, share information, conduct business, and form communities, as well as the impact these changes have on society. The Lab\u2019s overarching goal is to deepen public understanding of both the benefits and potential drawbacks of technology adoption.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 25, 2025 Toronto, ON \u2014 The Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University is pleased to announce a major update to PoliDashboard.org, a free public web app that enhances transparency around paid political advertising on Meta\u2019s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. PoliDashboard collects and visualizes real-time data from Meta\u2019s Ad Library to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23738,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[8,532,511,510],"class_list":["post-23715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","tag-facebook","tag-facebook-ads","tag-misinformation","tag-polidashboard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23715"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23739,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23715\/revisions\/23739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/socialmedialab.ca\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}