Google says Europe's political ad rules too hard do right • The Register

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srcset="/design_picker/f5daacc84b9722c1e31ba85f836c37e4ad993fc4/graphics/icons/bubble_comment_white.svg"> </a> </div> </div> <div class="header_right"> <h1>Google decides Europe's political ad rules are too hard to implement at scale</h1> </div> <div class="header_left"> <div class="comments_wrap desktop_only"> <a class="comment_count" aria-label="Read comments on this article, currently there are 26 comments" title="View comments on this article" href="https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2024/11/15/google_stops_eu_political_ads/"> <strong aria-hidden="true">26</strong> <img aria-hidden="true" width="18" height="16" alt="comment bubble on white" src="/design_picker/f5daacc84b9722c1e31ba85f836c37e4ad993fc4/graphics/icons/bubble_comment_white.png" srcset="/design_picker/f5daacc84b9722c1e31ba85f836c37e4ad993fc4/graphics/icons/bubble_comment_white.svg"> </a> </div> </div> <div class="header_right"> <h2>Will stop accepting ads instead before TTPA comes into force</h2> <div class="byline_and_dateline_and_share_and_comments"> <div class="byline_wrap"> <img class="vulture_icon" src="/design_picker/d518b499f8a6e2c65d4d8c49aca8299d54b03012/graphics/icon/vulture_red.svg" alt="icon"> <a class="byline" href="/Author/Simon-Sharwood" title="Read more by this author"> Simon Sharwood </a> </div> <div class="dateline_wrap"> <span class="dateline"> Fri 15 Nov 2024 <span class="slashes"> // </span> 05:31 UTC </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id=main-col> <div id="article-wrapper" class="article_wrap"> <div class="left_col"> <div class="floating_bar"> <div class="sharing_widget_story_desktop uses_overlay"> <button class="top_blob" aria-label="Share this story" title="Share this story"> <img width="25" height="25" src="/design_picker/d2e337b97204af4aa34dda04c4e5d56d954b216f/graphics/icons/social_share_icon.svg" alt=""> </button> <div class="sharing_widget_overlay" id="sharing_widget_overlay_2"> <div class="sharing_box"> <a data-social="reddit" href="https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/15/google_stops_eu_political_ads/%3futm_medium%3dshare%26utm_content%3darticle%26utm_source%3dreddit&title=Google%20decides%20Europe%27s%20political%20ad%20rules%20are%20too%20hard%20to%20implement%20at%20scale" target="_blank"> </a> <a data-social="twitter" class="twit" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Google%20decides%20Europe%27s%20political%20ad%20rules%20are%20too%20hard%20to%20implement%20at%20scale&url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/15/google_stops_eu_political_ads/%3futm_medium%3dshare%26utm_content%3darticle%26utm_source%3dtwitter&via=theregister" target="_blank"> </a> <a data-social="facebook" class="faceb_dialog" href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=1404095453459035&display=popup&link=https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/15/google_stops_eu_political_ads/%3futm_medium%3dshare%26utm_content%3darticle%26utm_source%3dfacebook" target="_blank"> </a> <br class="hide_after_sm"> <a data-social="linkedin" class="linkedin_social" href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/15/google_stops_eu_political_ads/%3futm_medium%3dshare%26utm_content%3darticle%26utm_source%3dlinkedin&title=Google%20decides%20Europe%27s%20political%20ad%20rules%20are%20too%20hard%20to%20implement%20at%20scale&summary=Will%20stop%20accepting%20ads%20instead%20before%20TTPA%20comes%20into%20force" target="_blank"> </a> <a data-social="whatsapp" href="https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/15/google_stops_eu_political_ads/%3futm_medium%3dshare%26utm_content%3darticle%26utm_source%3dwhatsapp" target="_blank"> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="promo_advert"> </div> </div> <div class="centre_col"> <div id="article"> <div id="body"> <p>Google has decided the European Union's Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising will be so hard to comply with it's better off not trying.</p> <p>The search and ads giant on Thursday <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/political-advertising-in-eu/">announced</a> that it will stop serving political advertising in the EU sometime before October 2025 – when the Regulation (TTPA) comes into force.</p> <p>Annette Kroeber-Riel, the big G's veep for government affairs and public policy in Europe, wrote that the TTPA "unfortunately introduces significant new operational challenges and legal uncertainties for political advertisers and platforms."</p> <div aria-hidden="true" class="adun" data-pos="top" data-raptor="condor" data-xsm=",fluid,mpu," data-sm=",fluid,mpu," data-md=",fluid,mpu,"> <noscript> <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> </noscript> </div> <p>"For example, the TTPA defines political advertising so broadly that it could cover ads related to an extremely wide range of issues that would be difficult to reliably identify at scale," she wrote. Another concern is the "lack of reliable local election data permitting consistent and accurate identification of all ads related to any local, regional or national election across any of 27 EU Member States."</p> <div aria-hidden="true" class="adun" data-pos="top" data-raptor="falcon" data-xmd=",fluid,mpu,leaderboard," data-lg=",fluid,mpu,leaderboard," data-xlg=",fluid,billboard,superleaderboard,mpu,leaderboard," data-xxlg=",fluid,billboard,superleaderboard,brandwidth,brandimpact,leaderboard,mpu,"> <noscript> <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D426raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> </noscript> </div> <div class="adun_eagle_desktop_story_wrapper"> <div aria-hidden="true" class="adun" data-pos="mid" data-raptor="eagle" data-xxlg=",mpu,dmpu,"> <noscript> <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> </noscript> </div> </div> <p>Kroeber-Riel also noted that "key technical guidance may not be finalized until just months before the regulation comes into effect."</p> <p>The <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/900/oj">TTPA</a> was passed in March 2024 and <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/03/11/eu-introduces-new-rules-on-transparency-and-targeting-of-political-advertising/">billed</a> as making it easier for voters to recognize political ads and learn who paid for them.</p> <div aria-hidden="true" class="adun" data-pos="top" data-raptor="falcon" data-xsm=",fluid,mpu," data-sm=",fluid,mpu," data-md=",fluid,mpu,"> <noscript> <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D426raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> </noscript> </div> <p>The regs therefore require ad platforms to identify political spots, identify the sponsor, the election or referendum to which they pertain, the amounts paid, and any use of targeting techniques. Targeted ads are only allowed after individuals opt in – separate from any other permissions they've granted.</p> <ul class="listinks"> <li><a href="https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/13/president_trump_tech/">Here's how a Trump presidency could change the tech industry</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theregister.com/2024/11/05/judge_musks_1m_election_giveaway/">Judge decides not to block Musk's $1M election giveaway</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/21/china_spamouflage_trolls_marc_rubio/">China’s Spamouflage cranks up trolling of US Senator Rubio as election day looms</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/27/meta_telection_infotrmation_ai/">Meta to build election operations center in Europe to inspect AI content</a></li> </ul> <p>Other jurisdictions already have laws on the books that require things like keeping records about political ads and making records of who bought and saw them available to the public. Those rules aren't always easy to comply with – ask Meta, which in 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/28/meta_fined_246m_political_ads/">copped substantial fines</a> for over 800 infractions of Washington State law.</p> <p>In 2024 some legislators also decided political ads generated by AI should be flagged so that voters know when humans outsource persuasion to machines.</p> <p>Google has previously required those who place political ads to provide extra ID info, and says it aims to inform voters and protect election integrity.</p> <p>But clearly the search and ads giant fears it can't do enough to meet the TTPA's requirements.</p> <div aria-hidden="true" class="adun" id="story_eagle_xsm_sm_md_xmd_lg_xlg" data-pos="mid" data-raptor="eagle" data-xsm=",mpu,dmpu," data-sm=",mpu,dmpu," data-md=",mpu,dmpu," data-xmd=",mpu,dmpu," data-lg=",mpu,dmpu," data-xlg=",mpu,dmpu,"> <noscript> <a href="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" target="_blank"> <img src="https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ad?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z0MNp-8-7pcEO11KTVVAJAAAAIY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0" alt=""> </a> </noscript> </div> <p>Which may be the point of the regulations. Another of Europe's aims is to stop those outside the Union from using online ads to influence elections. If even Google doesn't think it can reliably detect and prevent outside actors from trying to make a point during elections – and fears the consequences of failure – that's a win for Europe. ®</p> <div class="wptl btm"> <noscript><strong>Get our</strong> <a href="https://whitepapers.theregister.com/" style="text-transform:uppercase">Tech Resources</a></noscript> </div> </div> <div class="article_body_btm mobile_only"> <div class="sharing_widget_story_desktop uses_overlay"> <button class="top_blob" aria-label="Share this story" title="Share this story"> <img width="25" height="25" src="/design_picker/d2e337b97204af4aa34dda04c4e5d56d954b216f/graphics/icons/social_share_icon.svg" alt=""> <span>Share</span> </button> <div class="sharing_widget_overlay" id="sharing_widget_overlay_3"> <div class="sharing_box"> <a data-social="reddit" 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