Uncertain Future Looms for Political Advertising Across Europe
The European Union's Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, designed to address foreign interference and harmonise political advertising rules, has inadvertently caused significant challenges for think tanks, NGOs, and civil society groups.
This regulation, set to take effect in October 2025, has led to major digital platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Google announcing halts to political, electoral, and social issue ads in the EU. This decision is due to the complex compliance challenges and legal uncertainties posed by TTPA.
The key unintended consequences include:
- Reduced Access to Targeted Advertising: The withdrawal of these platforms from political advertising in the EU has severely limited the ability of these groups to use targeted digital advertising for advocacy and public engagement.
- High Compliance Costs and Data Disclosure Requirements: The regulation demands transparency labels, detailed disclosures, and the retention and sharing of advertising data for seven years. These obligations increase operational complexity and risks, leading platforms to reduce or cease political advertising activities.
- Limitation on User Consent and Targeting: Explicit user consent is mandatory for political ad targeting involving personal data, and targeting based on sensitive data is heavily restricted. This reduces the precision and effectiveness of political and advocacy campaigns.
- Potential Shrinking of Public Discourse and Voter Information Access: The removal of personalised political ads may limit voters’ exposure to important campaign information and reduce civil society's reach, potentially impacting the quality of public discourse.
- Shift Toward Organic Content and Traditional Outreach: With digital political ads limited, think tanks and NGOs may need to rely more on unpaid, organic content and non-digital campaign methods, which may not match the reach and targeting power of paid ads.
In summary, while the TTPA aims to increase transparency and reduce disinformation, its strict rules and broad scope have led to a withdrawal of major platforms from political advertising, constraining think tanks, NGOs, and civil society groups by restricting their ability to use targeted digital advertising for advocacy and public engagement in the EU.
However, these actors can continue reaching European audiences with little disruption by leveraging artificial intelligence tools and influencers with established followings. Additionally, there is a minor exemption under Article 18 of the TTPA that allows NGOs to communicate with existing subscribers, members, or former members without being subject to the regulation.
It is worth noting that only digitally advanced Estonia and Austria abstained from the vote on the TTPA in March 2024, with Hungary voting against, possibly anticipating the unintended consequences now emerging. Any advertisement from environmental groups, civil society organisations, or industry representatives that supports or opposes legislation or regulation falls under the scope of the TTPA.
As a result, political parties, candidates, and policy-focused organisations may be forced to shift toward traditional media campaigns, which are typically more expensive and less efficient. Reaching new audiences will become more complicated, and many will need to rely on organic growth or find workarounds to expand their user base without promoting issue-specific content through paid ads.
- The European Union's Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, intended to address foreign interference and harmonize political advertising rules, has led to a predicament for policy-and-legislation focused organizations, as digital platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Google have decided to halt political, electoral, and social issue ads in the EU due to the regulation's complex compliance challenges and legal uncertainties.
- As a consequence of the TTPA's strict rules and broad scope, entertainment-related content creators may find it difficult to reach European audiences through targeted digital advertising, as major platforms are withdrawing from political advertising and shifting towards traditional media or non-paid content, which may not match the reach and targeting power of paid ads.
