Campaigners are demanding greater transparency when it comes to paid-for political campaign advertisements and videos on social media platforms, as it has been revealed that TikTok is not following voluntary EU guidelines on the issue. While many election candidates and political parties use social media to share campaign videos, the source is typically clear. However, paid political ads are different, often lacking transparency regarding their backers and content balance.
The EU’s voluntary code on disinformation and political advertising, established in 2022, aimed to address these concerns by requesting that social media platforms properly label paid ads and maintain a public register of costs and sponsors. TikTok has been found in violation of this code, as it does not have a register and contradicts its own policy against paid political videos.
Transparency campaigner Liz Carolan stressed the significance of regulating money in politics, emphasizing the need to differentiate between candidate-driven content and paid advertisements. An Coimisiún Toghchain CEO Art O Leary echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of transparency in political ads on social media platforms.
Despite TikTok’s claims of removing paid political advertising from its platform and complying with current EU regulations, concerns persist over the lack of transparency surrounding these ads. With EU regulations set to replace the voluntary code in 2025, the issue of ensuring transparency in paid political advertising on social media remains a key concern.