Political Advertising Policies Regarding Precision Targeting on Social Networks
Facebook and Instagram have recently announced new policies aimed at enhancing the transparency and responsible use of political ads on their platforms. These changes come in response to growing concerns about microtargeting, privacy protection, and the spread of misinformation.
Microtargeting, a marketing tool used for decades to reach people with advertising effectively, has been under scrutiny due to its potential to threaten consumer privacy and influence elections. The practice involves targeting potential consumers on Facebook based on their interests, demographics, and online behaviour. However, concerns have been raised about the use of microtargeting to spread misinformation and sway public opinion.
In an effort to address these concerns, Facebook will now require political advertisers to verify their identity and location. The advertiser's name must appear on each ad, accompanied by the words "Paid for by" followed by a description of who paid for the advertisement. Facebook's policy also prohibits the use of its data for surveillance purposes, including by government entities. This means that users can no longer be targeted based on demographics like age, gender, and location.
Instagram is also rolling out new tools to help users understand who is targeting them with ads. Advertisers will be required to disclose who paid for their ads at the top of each advertisement. Facebook and Instagram will also require advertisers to disclose their country of origin.
Facebook and Twitter have introduced new policies to limit the spread of misinformation on their websites. In response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook announced new restrictions on how third-party apps can access user information and introduced a tool to show users what apps have been accessing their data. The goal of these tools is to provide users with more control over their data and help prevent the misuse of personal information for political purposes.
The EU's Regulation on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (PAR), effective from April 2024, is a leading example of current regulations focusing on transparency, privacy protection, and combating misinformation. It mandates that political ads must be clearly labelled with detailed disclosures, including the sponsor, amounts paid, electoral context, and the microtargeting techniques used. Ads and their notices are stored in a publicly accessible, machine-readable database for at least seven years.
Concerning privacy concerns, the regulation prohibits using minors' data, sensitive personal information like political opinions, or data from users under voting age for political targeting. It also builds on GDPR and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which address data misuse, algorithmic accountability, content moderation, and systemic risks like disinformation.
In response to these regulations and concerns, major platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) have announced they will stop running political, electoral, and social issue ads within the EU by October 2025. Other platforms like Google have also chosen to ban political ads in the EU.
In summary, the current best practices and regulations emphasize mandatory transparency, public accountability of political ads, strict limits on data use, and combating misinformation through platform accountability and user empowerment. Tech platforms are adjusting their policies—sometimes by banning political ads altogether—to comply with these evolving legal landscapes.
- The use of microtargeting in ads on Facebook and Instagram has come under scrutiny due to its potential to threaten consumer privacy and influence elections.
- Facebook's new policies require political advertisers to verify their identity and location, and to clearly label their ads with descriptions of who paid for them.
- Instagram will help users understand who is targeting them with ads by requiring advertisers to disclose who paid for their ads and their country of origin.
- Facebook and Twitter have introduced new policies to limit the spread of misinformation and provide users with more control over their data.
- The EU's Regulation on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (PAR) mandates detailed disclosures, data protection, and combating misinformation in political ads.
- Major platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) have announced they will stop running political ads within the EU by October 2025 in response to these regulations and concerns.
