The new law on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising, which kicked in on Friday, brings new restrictions and transparency requirements for paid political ads. Since the law was agreed, Google, Meta and Microsoft have all opted to stop showing political ads in the EU altogether.
“Smaller, newer parties and independent candidates will lose an affordable channel to reach voters, while large, well-followed accounts remain largely unaffected,” said liberal Slovak EU lawmaker Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová. “That shift risks narrowing who can be heard and makes campaigning harder for newcomers.”
She said that by axing political advertising, platforms are “taking the easier route,” which she regards as “a worrying signal” of tech firms refusing to seek compromises with rule makers.
Among the requirements, the law demands that platforms provide information on what election, referendum or legislative process the ad is linked to, how much it cost and details on any targeting techniques used.
In announcing their decisions, Google said the definition of political advertising is too broad, while Meta criticized targeted ad restrictions that ignore the “benefits [of personalized ads] to advertisers and the people they want to reach.”
Polish hard-right member of the European Parliament Piotr Müller said the rules are an example of over-regulation gone wild. “The political market will be consolidated, with large, well-known parties having the resources to meet the new requirements. This undermines pluralism and freedom of public debate,” he said.