Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on July 25, 2025, that it will cease political, electoral, and social issue advertising across the European Union starting in early October. The decision, mirroring a similar move by Google’s parent company Alphabet in November 2024, stems from operational and legal uncertainties posed by the EU’s new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, effective October 10, 2025.

The TTPA mandates that tech giants like Meta clearly label political ads, disclose their sponsors, payment details, and targeted elections, with non-compliance risking fines up to 6% of annual global turnover. Meta stated in a blog post that these rules create “significant operational challenges,” prompting the suspension of such ads. The company argued that personalized advertising is vital for campaigns addressing critical social issues, and the TTPA’s restrictions could limit voters’ access to comprehensive information, ultimately harming public discourse.

The move comes amid heightened scrutiny, as the European Commission is investigating Meta for alleged failures to combat disinformation and deceptive ads during the 2024 European Parliament elections. The probe, under the Digital Services Act, could also result in hefty fines for inadequate content moderation. Similarly, ByteDance’s TikTok faces EU investigations for suspected election interference, notably in Romania’s 2024 presidential vote.

Meta’s decision reflects broader tensions between Big Tech and the EU’s efforts to curb disinformation and foreign election interference across its 27 member states. While the company acknowledged the importance of regulatory goals, it criticized the TTPA’s impact on advertising effectiveness. As the EU tightens oversight, Meta’s withdrawal from political advertising underscores the challenges tech platforms face in balancing compliance with operational viability.