According to a Reuters report, Meta Platforms will stop running political, electoral, and social issue advertisements on Facebook and Instagram across the European Union starting early October 2025.
The move follows rising legal uncertainty around a new EU regulation designed to increase transparency in political advertising.
The company’s decision comes just months after Alphabet’s Google took a similar stance, marking a wider shift among Big Tech firms as they adjust to the European Union’s tightening oversight.
EU’s political ad law comes into force on 10 October
The new regulation—Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA)—takes effect on 10 October 2025. It aims to combat disinformation, enhance accountability, and prevent foreign interference in elections across the 27-member bloc.
Under the law, online platforms must clearly label political ads, disclose who paid for them and how much, and identify which elections the ads are intended to influence.
Non-compliance could result in penalties of up to 6% of a company’s annual global turnover. For Meta, which posted revenue of $134.90 billion in 2023, this could translate to a maximum fine of over $8 billion.
Meta flags operational and legal challenges
In a blog post on Friday, Meta stated that the upcoming regulation creates significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties.
As a result, the company said it would suspend all ads relating to politics, elections, and social issues on Facebook and Instagram within the EU from early October.
Meta also noted that the TTPA’s restrictions could have unintended consequences for EU citizens. The company argued that personalised ads—used widely by political and advocacy groups to reach target audiences—play a key role in shaping public discourse.
The removal of these ads could limit voters’ access to important campaign information, it said.
EU cracks down on disinformation ahead of elections
Meta’s announcement comes as the European Commission investigates Facebook and Instagram for failing to adequately address disinformation and deceptive advertising during the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections.
The probe is being conducted under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires large platforms to monitor and remove illegal or harmful content or face steep penalties.
The DSA grants the EU the power to fine tech companies up to 6% of their global turnover for non-compliance, similar to the enforcement terms under the TTPA.
In parallel, ByteDance’s TikTok is also under EU scrutiny over its role in spreading misleading content during Romania’s 2024 presidential elections.
The EU has not yet announced the outcome of that investigation, but the move signals broader concerns about the role of online platforms in shaping electoral outcomes.
Google, Meta retreat from EU political ad market
Meta’s retreat mirrors that of Google, which announced in November 2023 that it would stop running political ads across the EU ahead of the implementation of the TTPA.
Both firms are signalling that the compliance costs and risks associated with the new law outweigh the benefits of continuing political ad services in the bloc.
While Meta did not provide a timeline for when or if it might resume political advertising in the EU, the platform’s pause will apply to both Facebook and Instagram across all 27 EU countries.
The suspension is expected to affect political parties, advocacy groups, and civil society organisations that rely on Meta’s targeting tools during election cycles.
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