March 20 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms ( META ) will ask

advertisers to disclose the use of AI or other digital

techniques to create or alter a political or social issue ad,

the Facebook-owner said on Thursday, aiming to curb

misinformation ahead of the Canadian federal elections.

The disclosure mandate will apply if an ad contains a

photorealistic image, video or realistic-sounding audio that has

been digitally created or altered to depict a real person as

saying or doing something they did not actually say or do.

It also extends to ads that show a person who does not exist

or a realistic-looking event that did not happen, alters footage

of a real event or depicts an event that allegedly occurred, but

is not a true image, video or audio recording of the event.

In November last year, Meta said it would extend its ban on

new political ads after the U.S. election, in response to

rampant misinformation during the previous presidential

election.

Meta also barred political campaigns and advertisers in

other regulated industries from using its new generative AI

advertising products in 2023.

However, Meta scrapped its U.S. fact-checking programs

earlier this year - in addition to curbs on discussions around

contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity -

succumbing to pressure from conservatives to implement the

biggest overhaul of its approach to managing political content.

The Instagram-owner also claimed in December last year that

generative AI had limited impact across its apps in 2024,

failing to build a significant audience on Facebook and

Instagram or use AI effectively.

Meta has also added a feature for people to disclose when

they share AI-generated images, video or audio, so it can label

it.

(Reporting by Rishi Kant in Bengaluru)