Summary
Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, will stop showing political and social issue ads in the European Union starting in October. This decision comes in response to new EU rules requiring transparency about political ads, which create legal challenges for the company.
Key Facts
- Meta will suspend political and social issue ads in the EU starting October 2025.
- This change is due to the EU’s new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation.
- The TTPA requires tech companies to label political ads and disclose who paid for them, targeting which elections.
- Companies that don't follow these rules could face fines up to 6% of their annual revenue.
- Alphabet, Google's parent company, made a similar decision in November.
- The EU introduced these rules to prevent misinformation and foreign influence in elections.
- Meta's Facebook and Instagram are under investigation by the EU for not adequately handling misinformation.
- The Digital Services Act requires tech companies to counter illegal and harmful content or face fines.
