Meta Halts Swedish Election Authority’s Political Details Campaign on Facebook
STOCKHOLM – Meta has stopped the Swedish Electoral Authority from running informational advertisements on Facebook and Instagram ahead of upcoming elections, citing new EU regulations on political advertising. The move, impacting a campaign designed to inform voters about the electoral process, has prompted a response from Swedish authorities.
The Electoral Authority’s advertisements aimed to provide citizens with clear information regarding voting procedures and combat disinformation. However,Meta resolute the content fell under the scope of the new EU rules,requiring extensive labeling and clarity disclosures that the Authority was not prepared to immediately provide.”As I understand it, this is also a decision by Meta that applies to the entire EU, and not just Sweden or the Swedish Electoral authority,” said a spokesperson for the Swedish Media Authority in a written statement. “We are following the issue carefully and will invite Meta to a meeting to hear more about how they reasoned in this.”
New regulations, introduced on October 10, mandate increased transparency in political advertising. These rules require clear labeling identifying advertisements as political,disclosure of the entity behind the ad,details of any financial compensation,connections to elections,information about targeting methods,and more. The regulations place duty on various actors – political parties, advertising agencies, media houses, and platforms – to provide and publish accurate information.
The Swedish Media Authority explains the purpose of the new rules is to ensure voters understand when they are being presented with political advertising, who is responsible for it, and why they are being targeted. The Authority is now working to understand the full implications of Meta’s decision and how to comply with the new EU regulations to resume the information campaign.
