Meta to Halt Political Advertising in EU, Citing Transparency Rules
By Edith Hancock
Meta Platforms said it would stop political adverts being displayed on its social networks in the European Union from October, citing an incoming law designed to tackle misinformation and foreign interference in elections.
"From early October 2025, we will no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads on our platforms in the EU," the company said in a blog post on Friday. Meta added it won't comply with the bloc's nascent Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation, which tech platforms will have to comply with by Oct. 10. The law asks platforms to label political adverts, which elections they are linked to, who has funded them, how much advertisers paid and if any targeted advertising techniques were used. Companies can be fined up to 6% of their annual worldwide turnover for flouting the rules.
The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meta criticized that rulebook, saying it introduces unworkable requirements and legal uncertainties to the company's business.
"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 is yet another threat to the principles of personalized advertising, ignoring the benefits to advertisers and the people they want to reach," it said.
Meta said its decision won't affect political advertising outside of the EU, that EU users will still be able to debate politics and that politicians will still be able to share their own content organically. "They just won't be able to amplify this through paid advertising," the company said.
The announcement follows a similar move from Alphabet's Google, which last November said it would halt political ads in Europe.
The TTPA was borne out of fears across the bloc that foreign actors are using online advertising tools to push out distorted information and upend election results. The European Commission-- the EU's executive arm--opened an investigation into TikTok last December under a separate digital rule book after a far-right candidate in Romania's presidential election won a first round of votes. That vote was ultimately canceled by court judges.
Meta has vocally criticized a stack of EU tech laws in recent months, echoing remarks by U.S. President Trump's administration, who have accused the commission of taxing American tech groups with fines and curtailing free speech.
"We believe that personalised ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged on campaigns to inform voters about important social issues that shape public discourse," Meta said.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com