Vodafone off Facebook

Vodafone pulled all its ads from Facebook.com after they appeared next to those of the right-wing British Nationalist Party. A spokeswoman said this conflicted with the company's policy "that we do not make political donations or support particular party political interests."

The Guardian Unlimited speculates

The move may affect other advertisers on Facebook by highlighting a current lack of control over where the multimillion page network places their bookings. It is also likely to lead to refinements in the saturation advertising approach of some firms to currently popular websites.

With many US firms placing ads that may appear next to those of a range of political parties and candidates (not to mention appearing on their profile pages), if Facebook continues the current random placement policy, rival campaigns may try to stir up controversy.