Meta to halt political and social ads in EU over tough new rules

Meta logo seen at Hannover Messe trade fair in Germany, 22 April, 2024.
Reuters

Meta has announced it will halt political, electoral, and social issue ads in the European Union from October due to the region's new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation (TTPA).

The regulation, aimed at increasing oversight and preventing manipulation in political advertising, was enacted in April 2024, with major provisions coming into effect on 10 October.

“The TTPA introduces significant, additional obligations to our processes and systems that create an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU,” Meta said.

Although Meta has maintained political ad transparency tools since 2018, it says the EU’s new rules go far beyond what is feasible, especially in terms of ad targeting and compliance systems.

The company warned that the regulation could reduce the relevance of ads for users and restrict personalized advertising options. It also expressed concern about reduced market competition and user choice.

Google previously made a similar move, pausing political ads in anticipation of the regulation. Meta emphasized that while political advertising will be restricted, users can still engage in organic political discussions.

Earlier this month, Meta also opted out of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) code of practice, which supports upcoming AI legislation due to take effect in August.

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