Facebook Resorts To U.S. Mail For Verifying Ad Buyers, Confirmation Via Postcards

Despite touting that it’s a technology company, it seems Facebook is starting to see the value of old-school communication methods. The social network just announced that it would be relying on U.S. Mail to verify any company or person that wants to buy ads on the platform. The idea is for the prospective ad buyer to receive a postcard containing a code, which would verify their location.

This move was revealed by a Facebook executive on Saturday, Reuters reports. It’s basically a response to the hail of criticisms that the social network has been getting both from legislators and the users. It also comes a day after U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller unsealed the list of Russians that he is serving an indictment for interfering with U.S. elections.

With the help of the postcard, it will be easier for Facebook to verify where the buyer is located and confirm that they are who they say they are. This will at least make it more difficult for foreign individuals to try and interfere with the country’s democracy in the future. On that note, it won’t make it impossible, either.

As Gizmodo notes, the law explicitly prohibits foreign entities to purchase any type of service or media that directly affects U.S. democratic procedures. The people involved in the Russian interference knew this, which is why they reportedly sent their agents over to the U.S. to pose as legitimate citizens.

If they can do that, a postcard isn’t going to make a whole lot of difference, especially if the Kremlin decides to back these agents with hundreds of millions in budget. What’s more, this new policy only applies to ads that mention candidates by their names and not any other type of ad. As a result, there is still plenty of room to maneuver if spreading disruptive content is the goal.