Meta Platforms will stop running political, election, and social issue ads on its platforms in the European Union starting in early October.
The decision comes ahead of the EU’s new political advertising rules, which take effect on October 10.
The U.S. company said the upcoming regulation creates legal uncertainties and significant operational challenges. Meta announced the move in a blog post on Friday, calling it a difficult decision in response to the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation.
The new EU law requires digital platforms to clearly label political ads, identify who paid for them, how much was spent, and which elections are being targeted. Companies that do not comply could face fines of up to 6% of their annual global turnover.
Meta said the rules could make it harder for voters to access information and for advertisers to reach their audiences. The company argued that personalized ads are important for informing the public on key issues.
Alphabet’s Google made a similar decision last year, reflecting broader resistance by U.S. tech firms to the EU’s regulatory efforts.
Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, are already under investigation by the European Commission for allegedly failing to fight disinformation and deceptive ads ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections. That probe is being carried out under the Digital Services Act.
ByteDance’s TikTok is also facing scrutiny in the EU, with regulators looking into possible election interference, especially during the Romanian presidential vote in November.
