Facebook will not make major changes to its advertising policies that allow lies in political messaging, and has instead largely ignored pressure from politicians who have slammed the social networking company for spurning responsibility for the content on its platform.

The decision was announced on Thursday, and is likely to lead to further criticism of the network as the 2020 presidential and congressional races heat up.

Among the policies that Facebook said it will not change are its micro-targeting options for politicians, which has allowed them to target highly specific groups of people. Critics say this allows the spread of disinformation.

The social media company has come under intense pressure to change its ways, as disinformation has spread online and helped to fracture communities and dialogues along ideological divides.

Both Democrats and Republicans have criticised the website, with progressives arguing that the false and damaging information that has been allowed to spread should be better policed. Conservatives, meanwhile, have claimed — without evidence — that their free speech is being tamped down by a liberal-leaning social media culture.

Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Show all 15 1 /15 Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook is born On 4 Feb, 2004, 19-year-old Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched a website called 'TheFacebook' from his dorm. Within 24 hours the college social network had more than 1,000 users Wikimedia Commons Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Winklevoss twins sue Zuckerberg Within one week of launching, fellow Harvard students Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra accused Zuckerberg of stealing their idea. It would be four years later when the resulting lawsuit was finally settled Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Open for business The social network finally opened it platform to everyone on 26 September, 2006. The move proved the catalyst in supercharging the site's already explosive growth PA Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Billion-dollar bid Yahoo offered $1 billion to buy Facebook in September 2006 but Zuckerberg turned it down. 'I don’t know what I could do with the money,' Zuckerberg reportedly said. 'I’d just start another social networking site' Reuters Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network In the money In September 2009, almost five years since the site launched, Facebook turned a profit for the first time Getty Images/iStockphoto Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Taking the lead Facebook overtook MySpace in 2010 to become the world’s most popular social network Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Taking on the tech giants In 2011, Google launched its own social network that it hoped would knock Facebook from its perch. Despite its initial success, Google+ ultimately failed and will be shut down completely in 2019 Getty Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Facebook goes public On 18 May, 2012, Facebook went public. The initial public offering raised $16 billion – the third largest in US history Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Gobbling up the competition Facebook acquired Instagram in April 2012 for $1 billion, consolidating its position as the world's leading social network Reuters Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network One billion users On 4 October, 2012, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had hit 1 billion users. 'If you’re reading this: thank you for giving me and my little team the honour of serving you,' he wrote in a blog post Getty Images Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Expanding its empire In February 2014 Facebook acquired the messaging app WhatsApp for $19.3 billion REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Two billion users In June 2017, Facebook passed the 2 billion user milestone REUTERS/Dado Ruvic Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Privacy scandal On 17 March 2018, news broke that UK firm Cambridge Analytica had harvested data from around 87 million Facebook users for the purpose of political profiling in the build up to the 2016 US presidential elections Shutterstock Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Record profits Despite the scandals and subsequent #DeleteFacebook campaign, Facebook posted record profits just before its 15th anniversary, the equivalent of $7.37 from each of its 2.32 billions users iStock/Independent Facebook birthday: 15 defining moments for the social network Unhappy users A study found that people are happier when they don’t use Facebook, adding to mounting evidence surrounding the impact social media has on mental health Rex Features

Facebook, in declining to change its rules, is essentially placing the burden of regulation on the government, and saying they are doing the best they can given the current system in which they are operating.

“In the absence of regulation, Facebook and other companies are left to design their own policies,” said Rob Leathern, the company’s director of product management overseeing the advertising integrity division, in a post announcing the decision.

He said that "people should be able to hear from those who wish to lead them, warts and all, and that what they say should be scrutinised and debated in public”.

The explanation is unlikely to instil confidence in critics, who have noted that the speed with which misinformation can spread after it is posted makes it incredibly difficult for false statements to be scrutinised fully.

The hands-off approach showed its flaws in October, for instance, when a Facebook ad posted by Donald Trump’s campaign making false accusations against Joe Biden and his son went viral and was viewed by millions. Mr Biden, who is running for the 2020 Democratic nomination to take on the president this November, asked the company to remove the advert. The request was refused.

Facebook has also come under fire from other Democrats in the 2020 field, including senator Elizabeth Warren, who has promised to break up big tech companies should she become president.