Doherty warns against European political ad ban

Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty has warned that Meta and Google’s decision to withdraw all political advertising across the EU risks “silencing moderate voices and driving political debate further into extremes.”

She said the European Commission, which implemented the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising Regulation (TTPA), must urgently address the unintended consequences of the law.

The TTPA, which came into force on October 10, was intended to bring greater transparency to political campaigning online. 

The goal was to limit misuse of sensitive personal data, require clear consent for targeted ads, and ensure fairness for voters. 

But, per Doherty, major platforms such as Meta and Google have chosen to remove political and social advertising altogether, going well beyond what the legislation requires.

The Fine Gael MEP said that fellow MEPs confronted Meta executives over their “allergy to EU legislation.” 

Meta’s EU representative argued the law left the company with “the choice to either offer an ineffective product or withdraw from political ads.” Commission officials, however, said they saw no need for such a broad withdrawal, describing it as a commercial choice by Meta.

Doherty said, “social media is a powerful tool. It can open democratic debate to more people, but it can also tilt it.”

“For moderate, policy-driven voices, it is already difficult to cut through the noise of outrage and sensationalism. With paid political advertising now removed, the risk is that the extremes dominate.”

She said, “the question now is whether platforms will adapt their algorithms to ensure all voices are heard. If not, political speech in Europe risks becoming more polarised, as parties chase content that sparks the strongest reactions. The reasonable, balanced politics that citizens deserve will be harder to find.”

The Fine Gael MEP stated, “this is not about protecting any one party. It is about fairness and the health of European democracy.”

“The Commission must re-examine how the TTPA is being implemented, and work with platforms and political actors to fix this. We need rules that ensure transparency without silencing the centre ground.”