Meta to cut political, social issue ads in EU citing ‘unworkable’ transparency rules

ISTANBUL

US tech giant Meta announced on Friday that it will halt political, electoral and social issue ads in the EU starting from October, citing unworkable new transparency rules.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, said in a statement that the EU’s Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation (TTPA) “introduces significant operational challenges,” and “unworkable requirements.”

The EU’s TTPA, aimed at curbing information manipulation, foreign election interference, and misuse of personal data in political ads, took effect in April 2024, with key provisions set to apply from October 10.

The social media giant stated it has had transparency tools in place since 2018, requiring political advertisers to undergo an authorization process, with related data stored in a public ad library.

“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.

It added that the regulation’s strict limits on ad targeting threaten personalized advertising and could result in less relevant ads for users.

Google also announced last year it would stop political advertising before the regulation takes effect.

“Once again, we’re seeing regulatory obligations effectively remove popular products and services from the market, reducing choice and competition,” the statement said, adding that “it also won’t prevent people in the EU from continuing to debate politics… sharing political content organically.”

Earlier this month, Meta announced it would not endorse the EU’s artificial intelligence (AI) code of practice, which guides compliance with upcoming AI regulations effective in August.