Meta has announced that it will stop all political advertising in the European Union by October, citing “unworkable” new regulations designed to increase transparency in election campaigns.
The company’s decision comes as a response to the EU’s Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulations, which require platforms to label ads, preserve them in a database, and limit targeted advertising. Meta claims that these rules introduce significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties, making it “untenable” for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU.
Violations can result in fines worth up to 6% of a company’s annual global revenue. The decision affects major tech companies like Google, which also stopped serving EU users political ads last year citing similar reasons.
While Meta’s move will prevent paid advertising on its platforms, it won’t affect users who want to engage in politics through organic content or debates. The company believes that by removing paid advertising options, it can still facilitate discussions and sharing of political content without the influence of targeted ads.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/meta-instagram-facebook-eu-european-union-political-89efeac96723308d2a0469740d24d433