Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, along with Google, will cease political advertising in the EU due to new regulations. These rules, aimed at increasing transparency and preventing undue election influence, come into effect in October. The decision follows the Cambridge Analytica scandal and affects political content, election ads, and social issues.
Meta and Google Halt Political Ads in EU Amid New Regulations
No More Political Ads on Facebook and Instagram
Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is halting political ads within the EU. The American tech giant claims that new regulations make it too complicated and uncertain. Google has also announced it will stop political advertising in the EU in October when the rules take effect.
Ads with political content, election advertising, and what are described as social issues will not be allowed within the union from October, Meta announced.
“This is a difficult decision—one we have made in response to the EU's upcoming regulations,” writes the tech giant, referring to a regulatory framework on transparency around political advertising called TTPA.
According to Meta, the regulations entail an unreasonable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU.
The EU's rules were developed in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal that erupted in 2018, where it was revealed that the consultancy firm gained access to data on millions of Facebook users, which was used to target political ads at them. The regulations aim to prevent undue election influence.
Ahead of the EU elections, most Swedish parties invested a significant portion of their respective marketing budgets on social media ads.