Tk 40 lakh spent on political ads on FB amid quota protests: Report

Amid the ongoing protests in Bangladesh, political advertisements on Facebook have seen a significant surge. Data from Meta's Ad Library Report, as analysed by Jachaai, a Bangladesh-based fact-checking website, highlights the extent of ad spending during this period.

Between 13 to 19 July, prior to the internet blackout, a total of 1,860 political ads were broadcast from 338 Facebook pages, with 16 pages spending over $100 each, amounting to $3,121 (approximately Tk 3.6 lakh). During the blackout from 19–23 July, ad spending dropped sharply to only $480. However, once internet services resumed on the night of 23 July, political ad spending surged dramatically. From 24–30 July, despite Facebook remaining blocked for seven days, the total amount spent on political ads skyrocketed to at least $33,992 (equivalent to about Tk 40 lakh).

Pro- and anti-government advertising

Jachaai's analysis of Meta's Ad Library Report indicates a stark contrast between pro and anti-government advertising. In the week following the restoration of internet services, pro-government advertisers, comprising 116 pages, spent $33,732 (Tk 39 lakh) on 1,928 ads. In contrast, opposition advertisers, from 28 pages, spent $219 (Tk 25.7 thousand) on 58 ads. On 30 July alone, pro-government advertisements worth about Tk 12 lakh were circulated.

Content of advertisements

The content of the advertisements also showed significant differences. More than 80% of the ads shared pro-government content, promoting messages from government representatives, depicting the opposition's involvement in violence, and urging the public to stand against agitators. Anti-government ads, though fewer and less funded, showed support for protesters and demanded justice for alleged victims of government actions.

Prominent spenders and pages

Jachaai's report highlights several pages with significant political ad expenditures from September 2022 to July 2024. Among the prominent spenders were 'Call – Ahoban', which spent $12,217 for 1,865 ads, 'My Leader My Pride' with $9,078 for 2,800 ads, and 'Bangabandhu Online Archive' with $7,035 for 2,000 ads. Between 24–30 July alone, these top pages posted a combined $13,775 (approximately Tk 15.8 lakh) worth of Facebook ads.