Companies that choose not to sell space for election ads must still monitor their platforms to ensure they comply with election laws, the agency said. Platforms that display such ads without setting up a registry, as the rules require, could be investigated and prosecuted. All political ads must include a link to the database, which will contain information about who paid for them. (Globe and Mail)

Talking point: Elections Canada’s guidance seems aimed specifically at Google, which said last month it would not accept ads for the 2019 federal election because the database system is incompatible with how it serves them. Facebook says its Ads Library tool fulfills the requirement. Twitter has expressed concerns about the registry that today’s guidance is unlikely to assuage. While Elections Canada requires parties and third-party political groups to provide information to the platforms for the registry, Twitter worries they may not tell the truth, Michele Austin, Canadian head of public policy, told a parliamentary committee in November 2018. The company wants Elections Canada to verify the identity of political advertisers instead; the agency has not indicated it plans to do so.