Brussels: US tech giant Meta announced on Friday that it will halt political, electoral, and social issue ads in the EU starting from October, citing unworkable new transparency rules. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, expressed concerns regarding the EU's Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation (TTPA) that introduces significant operational challenges and unworkable requirements.

According to Anadolu Agency, the EU's TTPA, which aims to curb information manipulation, foreign election interference, and misuse of personal data in political ads, took effect in April 2024, with key provisions set to apply from October 10. Meta stated that it has had transparency tools in place since 2018, requiring political advertisers to undergo an authorization process, with related data stored in a public ad library.

Meta highlighted that the TTPA introduces significant, additional obligations to its processes and systems, creating an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU. The company added that the regulation's strict limits on ad targeting threaten personalized advertising and could result in less relevant ads for users.

Google also announced last year it would stop political advertising before the regulation takes effect. The statement from Meta indicated that regulatory obligations are effectively removing popular products and services from the market, reducing choice and competition. Furthermore, it noted that the regulations would not prevent people in the EU from continuing to debate politics and share political content organically.

Earlier this month, Meta announced it would not endorse the EU's artificial intelligence (AI) code of practice, which guides compliance with upcoming AI regulations effective in August.