Big Tech to be forced to hand over data on political ads
Facebook and Google will have to provide reams of detailed information on how political groups target people via online ads or face steep fines, according to European Commission draft proposals seen by POLITICO.
The proposals, which the Commission is expected to unveil on November 23, aim to protect elections from undisclosed political ads, stop political parties from misusing social media and combat the manipulation of voters through microtargeting — the practice at the heart of the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018.
Brussels wants to boost transparency around online political ads by forcing partisan groups and the world’s largest platforms to disclose more information about who is buying ads and the types of people they are targeting. These changes, it argues, could stop European Union elections from falling victim to underhanded political tactics, and allow voters to understand who is peppering them with political messaging.
Source: Big Tech to be forced to hand over data on political ads – POLITICO