Meta said on Friday it would stop selling and displaying political ads in the EU starting in October, in response to the EU's upcoming regulations on political advertising.In a blog post, the tech giantCalled the legislation’s requirements “unfeasible” and said the legislation, calledTransparency and Targeting in Political Advertising (TTPA)The law "imposes significant additional obligations on our processes and systems, which creates unbearable complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU".
Adopted by the European Commission in 2024, TTPA requires companies selling ads to clearly label political ads; provide information about their sponsors, the elections or referendums they focus on, the cost of the ads and the targeting mechanisms used.
The law also requires that data collected to serve political ads be used only with the consent of the person or entity and prohibits the use of certain types of personal data for profiling, such as information that might reveal an individual's racial or ethnic origin or political opinions.
However, these requirements may seem excessive for Meta, as the vast majority of its revenue comes from advertising. The company said it had held extensive consultations with the EU but ultimately concluded it would either change its services to serve ads that would be "unfavorable to advertisers or users" or stop serving such ads entirely.
“Once again we see regulatory obligations effectively removing popular products and services from the market, reducing choice and competition,” Meta wrote.
Another advertising giant, Google, which also said it would stop selling political ads in the EU in October, made a similar point, arguing that the law creates significant operational challenges and legal uncertainty.
It is the latest in a series of battles between the European Union and big tech companies as it seeks to rein in the influence and power of these platforms. Tech companies have been battling the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act, enforcement of its competition rules, ad tracking regulations and more.