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PoliDashboard

@polidashboard.org
188 followers 6 following 6 posts

Making the invisible visible — PoliDashboard is an open-source app for tracking political advertisements on Meta-owned advertising platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. polidashboard.org

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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 28/02/2026
Reporters, if you are looking for info on advertisers who are currently running Facebook & Instagram ads re: Iran in the US, use the "Ad Search" feature on our @polidashboard.org app. app.polidashboard.org/meta_ads?cou...
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 04/02/2026
“Our goal w/ @Polidashboard.org is to make political ad data more accessible & meaningful, not just for researchers & journalists, said Philip Mai, Co-Director & Senior Researcher of the Social Media Lab, but for anyone who wants to see how digital platforms are being used to shape public opinion."
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
PoliDashboard @polidashboard.org · 04/02/2026
PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/04/p...
socialmedialab.ca
PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform - Social Media Lab
[Toronto, Ontario] — [February 3, 2026] — In the wake of recent reports highlighting the prevalence of fraudulent advertisements on Meta-owned platforms (Tech Transparency Project) and perennial conce...
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
French trolling is just superb.
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PoliDashboard @polidashboard.org · 04/02/2026
PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/04/p...
socialmedialab.ca
PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform - Social Media Lab
[Toronto, Ontario] — [February 3, 2026] — In the wake of recent reports highlighting the prevalence of fraudulent advertisements on Meta-owned platforms (Tech Transparency Project) and perennial conce...
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 06/11/2025
Check out our how-to page for examples of how we and others have used @PoliDashboard.org to identify malicious actors who use paid ads on Facebook and Instagram to deceive users. polidashboard.org/how-to-use-p... We are working on a more detailed PoliDashboard 'how-to' for journalists. #Staytuned.
polidashboard.org
How-To - Polidashboard
How to Use PoliDashboard to Find Deceptive or Suspicious Advertisers Deceptive and suspicious ads have proliferated on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and others, par...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 27/09/2025
In some way, social media is like a weather vane in a storm: it spins quickly to show where the wind’s blowing, but you can’t tell how fierce the storm really is.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 27/09/2025
The Cracker Barrel story should serve as a reminder that "What a journalist can discern from publicly available social media data is not exactly what is typically thought of as 'public opinion.'” We & our colleagues outlined this problem back in 2018. policyoptions.irpp.org/2018/09/when...
policyoptions.irpp.org
When journalists report social media as public opinion
As digital data about people grows, journalists are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to find information. One trend in journalism, particularly in political ...
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 27/09/2025
"Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say" gizmodo.com/cracker-barr...
gizmodo.com
Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say
Doesn't that make more sense than lots of people caring about Cracker Barrel?
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 23/09/2025
Here's a peek at who has been trying to sway Americans on Facebook and Instagram over the past seven days. app.polidashboard.org/meta_ads?cou...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 13/09/2025
Scammers are targeting seniors again. When we released our new @polidashboard.org app for tracking political ads, we did not expect that it could also be used to detect financial & other types of fraudulent activities on Meta’s advertising platforms. socialmedialab.ca/2025/07/29/p...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 06/08/2025
This year proved the courts won’t save America. Next year might prove the ballot box alone won’t either. That’s not a reason to give up, it’s a reason to dig in. The system won’t fix itself. Democracy only works if we fight for it, together. Keep showing up. Keep speaking out. Keep building power.
media.tenor.com
a cartoon drawing of a person cutting a chocolate cake with a knife
ALT: a cartoon drawing of a person cutting a chocolate cake with a knife
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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 06/08/2025
"If you can't win the game, change the rules."
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 06/08/2025
Meta just gave advertisers wider access to "Meta’s Value Rules," a new tool to let advertiser fine-tune and target nich audience who are likely to buy their products. (Note: product can also be a social issue or policy position.) www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-ad...
socialmediatoday.com
A Look at Meta’s ‘Value Rules’ for Specific Ad-Targeting Approaches
You may have noticed “Value Rules” appear as a new option in your Meta ads setup.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 29/07/2025
@PoliDashboard.org Launches Major Update to Advance Transparency in Political Advertising on Facebook & Instagram. - AI-Generated Ad Summaries - Semantic Ad Search - Advanced Data Filtering - Enhanced Demographics Visualization w/ Interactive Demographic Drilldowns socialmedialab.ca/2025/07/29/p...
socialmedialab.ca
PoliDashboard Launches Major Update to Advance Transparency in Political Advertising On Facebook and Instagram - Social Media Lab
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 25, 2025 Toronto, ON — 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...
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 13/06/2025
Here's a peek at what we're working on for @PoliDashboard.org, our app for tracking ads re: political, election, & social issues on FB/IG. 1) semantic and keyword search of all ads for a particular country & 2) a summary of the advertiser's entire ad portfolio/campaign. #transparency #TargetedAds
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 31/03/2025
Giving water to people in line to vote in the US is illegal. But "Billionaire Elon Musk can hand out million-dollar checks to two voters in Wisconsin and promised smaller payments to others who help elect a conservative candidate to the state's top court" www.reuters.com/world/us/mus...
reuters.com
Musk gives away two $1 million checks to Wisconsin voters in high profile judicial race
Billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday handed out million-dollar checks to two voters in Wisconsin and promised smaller payments to others who help elect a conservative candidate to the state's top court in a closely watched election.
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 31/03/2025
“Our goal is to make political ad data more accessible & meaningful—not just for researchers & journalists, but for anyone who wants to see how digital platforms are being used to shape pub. opinion. Transparency is the first step toward accountability.” - @gruzd.ca socialmedialab.ca/2025/03/31/p...
socialmedialab.ca
PoliDashboard.org Launches with Powerful New Features to Track Political Ads on Facebook and Instagram— Just in Time for the 2025 Canadian Federal Election - Social Media Lab
[Toronto, Ontario] — [March 31, 2025] — As the 2025 Canadian federal election gets underway, the newly redesigned PoliDashboard.org arrives at a crucial moment, providing timely tools to track and ana...
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 31/03/2025
PoliDashboard.org Launches with Powerful New Features to Track Political Ads on Facebook and Instagram — Just in Time for the 2025 Canadian Federal Election socialmedialab.ca/2025/03/31/p... #cdnpoli #elbowsup
This new release of PoliDashboard includes powerful updates:

Audience Demographic Filters: Explore which demographic groups (based on age and gender) each advertiser targets;
Location-Based Filtering: See where ad dollars are being spent by province/state;
Enhanced Speed & Usability: Experience a faster, more intuitive user interface, making it easier than ever to dive into the data.
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 25/03/2025
TikTok Canada Launches Election Centre for Federal Election: "TikTok users in Canada will encounter prompts directing them to the Election Centre when engaging with election-related content or searches, such as 'Canada Election 2025” and “Federal Election.'" www.iphoneincanada.ca/2025/03/24/t...
iphoneincanada.ca
TikTok Canada Launches Election Centre for 2025 Federal Election • iPhone in Canada Blog
TikTok Canada has just announced the launch of an in-app Election Centre aimed at providing users with accurate and authoritative election information.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 12/03/2025
As expected: - X usage in Canada continues to decline: 42% in 2020, 40% in 2022, and 37% in 2025. - There are fewer left-leaning Canadians on X than center and right-leaning Canadians. Stay tuned for more details in our upcoming report the “State of Social Media in Canada 2025” (ETA 04/2025)
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 06/03/2025
Some of our new followers may be wondering why a social media research lab—one that primarily focuses on sharing insights about social media research and the latest developments in social media platforms—also engages with political topics.
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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 18/02/2025
"There's an old saying in diplomatic circles: 'If you are not at the table, you are on the table.' Hard to believe it's 2025, and two superpowers are meeting to split up a sovereign nation—like colonialism never went out of style. #Ukraine
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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 08/02/2025
What’s the loss of a few million lives when proving a point takes priority? I was once a child refugee, surviving on USAID rations—without them, my family would have perished. I will never understand the deep-seated cruelty some people carry in their hearts.
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 01/02/2025
Remember when televisions in public spaces—airports, bus stations, military bases, and even waiting rooms—were almost always tuned to CNN. It was the default backdrop, shaping the way travelers, service members, and commuters absorbed the day’s news.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 01/02/2025
Democrats still communicate like it’s the Clinton era, relying on press conferences and stale press releases that mirror the party’s aging leadership. Few are willing—or able—to engage on social media authentically without staff mefiating and filtering their words.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 28/01/2025
There's not a table big enough ... "Canada’s Freeland Calls for Summit of Nations Targeted by Trump" www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Canada’s Freeland Calls for Summit of Nations Bullied By Trump
A key candidate running to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister is calling for an international summit to hammer out a joint response to US President Donald Trump’s tariff and sovereignty...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 29/01/2025
OPM just unveiled a new deferred resignation program for most full-time federal employees: www.opm.gov/fork. The announcement feels like something straight out of @theonion.com though it might need a title change. Instead of "Fork in the Road," a more fitting name might be "Our Way or the Highway."
opm.gov
Fork in the RoadLock
Welcome to opm.gov
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 28/01/2025
90% of X's Community Notes never see daylight. As with many of our other projects such as @polidashboard.org & @deepfakestracker.org, our aim with this new "X Misleading and Manipulated Media Dashboard" app is to make the invisible visible. #transparency #accountability #medialitteracy
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Reposted by PoliDashboard
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 25/01/2025
If you read one thing this weekend, make it this: a comprehensive new study that examines how autocracies endure. Lots of insights into what Americans are up against. Key takeaway: "Media indoctrination and the suppression of civil liberties are the strongest predictors of autocratic survival."
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 22/01/2025
It's the first day after the inauguration, but the campaign for your heart and mind is never over. Here's who trying to influence you and your family with Meta ads. Click on any advertisers in @polidashboard.org & explore. All the charts are interactive. app.polidashboard.org/facebook_ads...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 19/01/2025
TikTok is now back up and running for some users in the United States. What is even happening in the US? #TikTokRefugees #TikTokban
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 19/01/2025
Given Meta's recent decision to terminate all fact-checkers & significantly alter its moderation policies, we're re-upping our recent study on the effectiveness of misinfo warning labels on social media. TLDR: Fact-check labels are effective at reducing spread. socialmedialab.ca/2024/09/11/n...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 18/01/2025
Is Europe ready? U.S. tech bros are coming after the EU and its sovereign right to regulate its own markets. This time, they have Trump and other US politicians on their side and the US Trade Representative office on speed dial.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 15/01/2025
🚨TikTok plans to shut down its app in the U.S. on Sunday in response to an impending federal ban. This decision goes beyond what the law requires. Users will be redirected to a website providing details about the ban and options to download their data. www.theinformation.com/articles/tik...
theinformation.com
TikTok Prepares for Immediate Shut-Off in the U.S. on Sunday
TikTok plans to shut off its app for U.S. users on Sunday, the day a federal law will ban the app, unless the Supreme Court intervenes to block the ban, according to two people familiar with TikTok’s ...
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 12/01/2025
Our ability for sensemaking—the way people gather and interpret information to give meaning to their lives and the world—will need a total overhaul ... as will our laws & norms. #AI
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 10/01/2025
If you are so inclined, here's "How to delete your Facebook account and take your data with you. Meta has buried account deletion and deactivation within your Facebook settings, but we found them." www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-d...
popsci.com
How to delete your Facebook account and take your data with you
If you want to know how to delete your Facebook account, follow these steps to get rid of it, and also save anything you want to keep.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 10/01/2025
Given the waves of alarming changes emerging from Meta, it's clear that the myth of tech being inherently liberal needs to be retired. Tech owners, like sunflowers, always turn toward power.
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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 09/01/2025
For many people, a lie or factually inaccurate post or statement doesn't register as misinformation if its core message aligns with their preexisting beliefs or worldview. #ConfirmationBias #CognitiveDissonance #BeliefPerseverance
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Philip Mai @philipmai.com · 08/01/2025
Sadly, we're entering an era that I can only describe as "#democracytheatre." In this grim performance, those in power go to great lengths to preserve the outward appearances & rituals of democracy—elections, legislative bodies, & public debates—but strip these institutions of their essence.
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PoliDashboard @polidashboard.org · 29/11/2024
One of the few antidotes we have is transparency henced @polidashboard.org. But beyond that, more importantly, we need new anti-SLAPP laws to protect journalists & researchers. cfe.torontomu.ca/guidesadvice...
cfe.torontomu.ca
Anti-SLAPP Legislation: A Backgrounder | Centre for Free Expression
Protection of Public Participation Act, 2015 Centre for Free Expression
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 25/11/2024
It's happening. The migration to Bluesky is real. "Canadian MPs among social media users pivoting from X to Bluesky in the wake of U.S. vote. Basically, what we're seeing is a reconfiguration of the social media landscape"- @philipmai.com, co-director of @socialmedialab.ca www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
Canadian MPs among social media users pivoting from X to Bluesky in the wake of U.S. vote | CBC News
In the wake of the U.S. election, many social media users have started to migrate from X to Bluesky, including some Canadian MPs. The move also comes as some experts warn that X and its owner Elon Musk could influence the next Canadian election.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 25/11/2024
This is another reminder of how design choices and opaque algorithms on platforms like X, Facebook & Instagram subtly shape our information environment and worldview. The ability to train and choose our algo is reason enough to be here on Bluesky.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 24/11/2024
We know that there's a lot of devs on here, we've an open source proj. @PoliDashboard.org that could use some ♥️. If you care re: political transparency/micro ads targeting on FB/IG, pls👀
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Communalytic.Org @communalytic.org · 20/11/2024
We are now on Bsky!
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 16/11/2024
Until and unless there is legally mandated data access for qualified researchers, journalists and regulators, the public will always be in the dark.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 16/11/2024
1/7 Social media platforms frequently tweak weights in their recommender algorithms to optimize engagement. In addition, many of these algorithms are self-learning and personalized to individual users or groups of users.
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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 10/11/2024
Researchers & scholars from across various fields are increasingly at risk of intimidation & harassment for their work. A new resource offers practical and actionable suggestions for navigating conversations with your institution. Pls, bookmark & share. researchersupport.org
researchersupport.org
Researcher Support Consortium
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