A new Regulation on the Transparency of Political Advertising will take effect across the European Union on October 10, 2025. This landmark legislation aims to ensure every political message has a clear source, preventing anonymous manipulation. Imagine you’re at a party, and someone starts lecturing you about politics, but you have no idea who they are, why they’re doing it, or who paid them. The new EU law directly addresses this scenario.
The regulation establishes strict barriers for political PR specialists and “spin doctors” who operate in a “grey area,” promoting political content under the guise of “public opinion.” From now on, they will be required to play by the rules. It’s as if every political campaigner had a clear label on their forehead stating: “Hello, I’m Andrew, Party X paid me to convince you to vote for Y. And by the way, here’s a list of all my expenses.“
The new law declares: you have the right to know who is manipulating you.
☛Everything will be labeled! Any online political advertisement—from a social media post to a website banner—must be clearly marked. It will immediately show that it is an advertisement, who commissioned it, and who paid for it.
☛Goodbye, secret targeting! Previously, you might have been subjected to advertising based on your most personal data. This will no longer be allowed. To use your data for targeting, an advertiser must obtain your explicit consent. Furthermore, the law prohibits profiling based on particularly sensitive data, such as racial or ethnic origin. For example, advertisers can target a Spanish-speaking audience, but not individuals of a specific ethnic group.
☛No foreign interference. The financing of political advertising from abroad will be prohibited for three months before EU elections. This provides robust protection against external forces attempting to influence public opinion.
☛Everything will be stored. All online political advertisements will be collected in a dedicated public database, where they will be stored for seven years. Anyone will be able to access it at any time to check who advertised what, and when.
Does this apply to rallies?
It is important to understand that rallies do not fall under this law. You are free to shout slogans in a public square as much as you like, and the law does not regulate this. However, if you wish to reach a wider audience for your rally and pay for online advertising, then that advertisement must comply with all the new rules.
