Meta to Stop All Political Adverts in Europe
Starting this October, Meta will ban all advertising related to politics, elections, and social issues across its platforms within the European Union. The change is a direct response to new, stricter regulations being introduced in the region.
New EU Rules Prompt the Change
The ban comes ahead of the EU's "Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising" (TTPA) regulation, which becomes law on the 10th of October. These new rules will force digital platforms to be more open about the political adverts they show. For every ad, they would need to reveal who paid for it and what methods were used to target it to specific users.
A key challenge for Meta is a new requirement for user consent. The rules state that a person's data can only be used for political advertising if they have given separate and explicit permission for it. Meta has decided that these and other new obligations are too complex for its advertising systems to manage, leading to the decision to stop these ads altogether.
Meta's Point of View
Meta explained that the new regulations create an "untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty". The company stated that it has offered transparency tools for political ads since 2018 but feels these additional requirements are unworkable.
According to Meta, the new restrictions on how ads are targeted will make it harder for political and social issue campaigns to reach interested people. They argue this will "lead to people seeing less relevant ads" and view it as another threat to the principle of personalised advertising, which they believe benefits both advertisers and the public.
A Wider Disagreement
This is the latest development in an increasingly complex environment for digital companies in the EU. Meta is already paying over $1 billion (£800 million) a year in fines and penalties as it tries to keep up with Europe's evolving rules. The company has suggested that these regulations unfairly target American businesses.
There are reports that Meta is lobbying the US government in the hope that it might apply economic pressure on the EU to reconsider such fines. While the White House has expressed its disapproval of the EU's approach, no firm action has been taken yet.
From a business standpoint, the ban is unlikely to significantly impact Meta's revenue, as political advertising makes up a small portion of its income. However, the company maintains that online advertising is a vital tool in modern politics. The core of the issue is whether the EU's push for greater transparency is a necessary step, or if it places an unfair burden on technology platforms.
