Overview

• Starting early October 2025, Meta will end political, electoral and social-issue advertising across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in the European Union.
• The move follows Google’s similar decision announced last November in response to the bloc’s new political ad transparency requirements.
• The Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation takes effect on October 10, 2025, and obliges platforms to label political ads, disclose sponsors and spending and identify targeted elections under penalty of fines up to 6% of annual turnover.
• Meta warns that implementing the detailed disclosure and tracking obligations imposed by the regulation creates untenable operational burdens for both platforms and advertisers.
• Company officials argue that removing targeted political ads risks reducing advertisers’ outreach effectiveness and limiting voters’ access to comprehensive election information.