• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Facebook removes Trump campaign’s misleading ‘census’ ad

By
Kurt Wagner
Kurt Wagner
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kurt Wagner
Kurt Wagner
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 5, 2020, 6:19 PM ET

Facebook will remove ads from U.S. President Donald Trump that encouraged users to take the “Official 2020 Congressional District Census,” but included a link that led them to a re-election campaign survey unrelated to the official U.S. Census.

The social network, which has come under fire for its policy against fact-checking ads from politicians, makes exceptions for ads that share misleading information around certain categories, like voting or the 2020 Census.

The ads were published on March 4, according to Facebook’s ad library, and versions of the spot were still active as of 3 p.m. New York time on Thursday. A Facebook spokesperson said the ads are in the process of being rejected.

“There are policies in place to prevent confusion around the official U.S. Census and this is an example of those being enforced,” the company spokesperson said in the statement.

The ads were up long enough for some of Trump’s political rivals to notice them. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier Thursday that the ads were “very concerning” and called them “a lie.” Clicking on the ad brings users to a survey asking for a person’s age and party affiliation, and claims to be sponsored by Trump’s re-election campaign. Facebook’s planned removal of the ads was reported earlier by NPR.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Researchers found a hole in PayPal’s security. PayPal says it’s no big deal
—For $3, this app will sue data brokers that don’t delete your personal info
—After folding phone screens, get ready for unrolling displays
—Chinese company publishes purported evidence of CIA hacks
—When will PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X debut? With coronavirus, it’s anyone’s guess

Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.

About the Authors
By Kurt Wagner
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Will Wilson smiles
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Startup Antithesis turns years of real-world chaos into hours of simulated mayhem—and key trading firms and crypto networks are paying close attention
By Lily Mae LazarusMarch 23, 2026
2 hours ago
C-SuiteNext to Lead
How the Great Wealth Transfer could quietly disrupt corporate America’s leadership pipeline
By Ruth UmohMarch 23, 2026
3 hours ago
Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril.
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anduril breaks in to the Pentagon big leagues
By Matthew HeimerMarch 23, 2026
3 hours ago
A phone with a logo in front of a black background
Big Techinvesting strategy
Supermicro—accused of smuggling $2.5 billion in Nvidia chips and servers to China—has been here before, with Iran
By Amanda GerutMarch 23, 2026
4 hours ago
kuo
CommentaryUnicorns
Alibaba.com President: The one-person unicorn is coming. AI is making it possible
By Kuo ZhangMarch 23, 2026
5 hours ago
Interloom cofounder and CEO Fabian Jakobi sitting on a chair leaning forward towards on low coffee table on which sits a laptop.
AIVenture Capital
Exclusive: Interloom, a startup capturing ‘tacit knowledge’ to power AI agents, raises $16.5 million in venture funding
By Jeremy KahnMarch 23, 2026
7 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.