BRUSSELS, Belgium: Meta Platforms has announced it will stop running political, electoral, and social issue advertisements on its platforms across the European Union starting in early October 2025.

The tech giant cited "legal uncertainties" surrounding new EU regulations as the reason for its decision, marking a significant shift in how political content will be managed on platforms like Facebook and Instagram during upcoming European elections.

The move aligns with a similar step taken by Google's parent company, Alphabet, in November last year, highlighting growing resistance among major U.S. tech firms to tighter EU regulation. Both companies are responding to the European Union's new Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, set to take effect on October 10, 2025.

The regulation, designed to curb disinformation and foreign meddling in elections, introduces strict requirements for digital platforms. Under the new law, political ads must be clearly labeled, identify the sponsors, disclose spending, and specify which elections they are targeting. Companies that fail to comply face penalties of up to 6% of their annual global revenue.

In a blog post, Meta acknowledged that the decision to halt political advertising in the EU was difficult but necessary. "This is a difficult decision—one we've taken in response to the EU's incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties," the company wrote.

Meta also warned that the new rules could have negative consequences for European citizens. "We believe that personalized ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged in campaigns to inform voters about important social issues," Meta said. "Regulations like the TTPA significantly undermine our ability to offer these services, not only impacting the effectiveness of advertisers' outreach but also the ability of voters to access comprehensive information."

The European Commission has resisted such arguments, asserting that greater transparency is essential to protecting democratic institutions. The EU is already investigating Meta's platforms—Facebook and Instagram—for alleged failures to combat disinformation and misleading advertising ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections. That investigation falls under the broader Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates that large online platforms take stronger action against harmful and illegal content or face severe penalties, including fines of up to 6% of global turnover.

Meta is not alone in facing scrutiny. ByteDance's TikTok is also under investigation for its handling of election-related misinformation, particularly during Romania's presidential elections last November.

The combined pressure from the TTPA and DSA reflects the EU's broader strategy to assert greater control over digital platforms and hold tech companies accountable for content shared on their networks, especially content related to democratic processes.

As the October 10 deadline approaches, Meta's decision to withdraw from political and social issue advertising in the EU raises concerns among campaigners and civil society groups that rely on digital outreach to inform voters and shape public debate. It also sets the stage for a more regulated and, potentially, more opaque digital election landscape in Europe.