The digital advertising sphere across Europe is poised for a significant transformation, as a new European Union regulation, intended to foster transparency, paradoxically ushers in an era of unforeseen challenges and consequences for political communication and public discourse. This landmark EU Regulation, aimed at standardizing political advertising rules and combating foreign interference, is reshaping how political entities and civil society engage with citizens online.
In a direct response to this impending legislative shift, major technology platforms have begun implementing drastic changes. Meta, followed by Google, recently announced their decision to discontinue all political, electoral, and social issue advertising on their platforms within the European Union, signaling a profound alteration in the operational dynamics for political campaigns and advocacy groups seeking to reach audiences through digital advertising channels.
The Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, set to take full effect by October 2025, was conceived with laudable objectives. Its initial aim was to address critical issues such as external meddling in European elections and the urgent need to harmonize disparate political advertising rules across member states, thereby enhancing online transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
However, the TTPA’s scope expanded considerably during its development, leading to practical and immediate ramifications beyond its original intent. This expansion means that not only traditional political parties and candidates, but also policy-focused organizations like think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and various civil society groups, will face significant limitations in their ability to use sponsored, personalized advertisements to disseminate their messages.
The primary driver behind the platforms’ decision to opt out stems from the stringent obligations outlined in the TTPA. These include not only prohibitively high compliance costs for companies like Meta and Google, but also extensive requirements to disclose internal policies and advertising practices to a broad range of stakeholders, which platforms argue significantly diminishes the effectiveness and privacy of digital advertising itself, undermining established Meta Policies and Google Advertising frameworks.
Furthermore, the regulation introduces severe restrictions on targeted advertising, particularly under Article 18, which mandates explicit user consent for data usage in political advertising. Critically, it effectively abolishes personalized advertising by prohibiting the use of sensitive personal data for profiling, ensuring that users will encounter a broader, less tailored array of advertisements, regardless of their political leanings.
Additional responsibilities are levied upon Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), including rigorous record-keeping requirements and the obligation to share these records with diverse entities such as journalists, civil society organizations, researchers, and even political rivals. This unprecedented level of online transparency aims to ensure public oversight but presents complex operational challenges for the platforms.
A crucial, often overlooked aspect of the TTPA is its expansive definition of “political advertising.” Beyond traditional electoral campaigns, Article 3, Section 2, encompasses any advertisement “designed to influence the outcome of an election or referendum, voting behaviour or a legislative or regulatory process.” This broad interpretation means environmental groups, industry representatives, and other advocacy organizations are now subject to the regulation when promoting or opposing legislation at any level.
While a limited exemption exists for NGOs to communicate with existing subscribers without falling under the regulation, this provision offers only minor relief, effectively curbing civil society groups’ ability to reach new audiences and participate broadly in public discourse. This shift compels organizations to explore alternative outreach strategies, potentially including leveraging artificial intelligence tools and influencers, as the digital advertising landscape fundamentally transforms.
