Read More>> Facebook, for the first time globally, is embarking on a strictly offline process to verify identity and locations of political advertisers in India ahead of the country’s general elections next year.
The social network, which counts India as the largest market by users, has written an email on December 8 to individual advertisers and agencies that they must provide scanned copies of address and identify proofs, which will be verified with visits by its India-based team.
Alternatively, advertisers could opt for Facebook to send a verification code by post, akin to what it did in the US during the recent mid-term elections. This is for the first time that the social network would be adopting a “feet on the street” approach, owing to the unique challenges India represents as a political advertising market.