Meta to ban political, electoral, and social issue ads in EU

Meta will implement a ban on political, electoral, and social issue advertising on its platforms within the European Union starting in early October 2025. The decision comes in response to the EU’s upcoming 'Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA)' regulation, which introduces new legal and operational requirements for online political advertising.

According to the platform, the TTPA imposes additional obligations that increase system complexity and legal uncertainty for both platforms and advertisers. The regulation places restrictions on ad targeting and delivery, which Meta states would limit the ability of political and social issue advertisers to reach their intended audiences.

Meta, in a statement, said, "This is a difficult decision - one we’ve taken in response to the EU’s incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties".

Since 2018, the platform has required advertisers of political and social issue content to complete an authorisation process, include disclaimers, and submit ads to a publicly accessible Ad Library. However, the platform said the TTPA would add further burdens without a clear compliance framework.

"For example, the TTPA places extensive restrictions on ad targeting and delivery, which would restrict how political and social issue advertisers can reach their audiences and lead to people seeing less relevant ads on our platforms. It is yet another threat to the principles of personalised advertising, ignoring the benefits to advertisers and the people they want to reach", commented the platform.

Meta stated that after engaging with EU policymakers, it faced two options: modify its ad services in ways it deemed unworkable or discontinue political, electoral and social issue ads in the region. The company opted for the latter.

The platform stated that it is not the only company to have been forced into this position, claiming that regulatory obligations effectively remove popular products and services from the market, reducing choice and competition.

The restriction will apply only to the EU. Political content will still be allowed in organic posts, and political figures will continue to be able to share such content without paid promotion.