Who Targets Me

Anyway, would love a chat with you/colleagues at some point. Would be great to talk (plus, Norwegian election on the way v. soon).

Ok - fair enough, but it's hard to see the spending currently going into the platforms being fully displaced onto other services. Ofcom data suggests about 3/4 of time online is spent on big platforms. That pattern isn't changing, and advertisers will still want to reach those audiences.

In an ideal world, but the innovation here probably won't be new forms of advertising (political ads in EU too small a market to force that, plus all the reach is on the platforms), but new weirdnesses, off-book activity and other ways cheating.

It needs a response because, from a regulator's perspective, political ad money used to flow down a few channels. With Meta and Google gone (and with X likely to follow, and TikTok already out), the same money will instead flow through a thousand tinier streams, making it v. hard to track.

How (and why) to fix political ads in the EU Meta follows Google (and TikTok and Microsoft) and leaves the EU political advertising market. The damage will be significant.

We wrote last week about these moves by platforms and why they're mostly just a power play, but they're one that needs a response:
fulldisclosure.whotargets.me/p/how-and-wh...

Similar to Meta's move last week, it's another example of a highly profitable American platform choosing to censor vital political speech in Europe, and give a leg up to bad actors, rather than properly comply with local transparency legislation.

Here is Google's response to the forthcoming EU regulation on political advertising. In short, from October, they're banning a much wider range of ads than was covered by the definition of "political advertising" they've used for the last seven years.
support.google.com/adspolicy/an...

Reform spent £23k on Meta in the last month.

Bar chart showing Reform outspending Labour and the Conservatives by nearly double.

Reform ad: "Britain is Lawless"

Reform ad for their conference in September.

Reform's digital ad spend is pretty variable, but the last month has been busier for them, driven by relatively expensive ads on law and order (£9k), and selling tickets for their conference next month (up to £15k).

Must read!

"People are starving in Gaza, yet Meta will cut off Medicins Sans Frontieres, UNICEF, the Red Cross and many others from fundraising for their work there in less than two months. Money for vital causes will be lost, with serious consequences."

How (and why) to fix political ads in the EU Meta follows Google (and TikTok and Microsoft) and leaves the EU political advertising market. The damage will be significant.

A long(ish) piece on what follows from Meta's forthcoming political ad ban in the EU:
open.substack.com/pub/whotarge...

1/ Last Friday, Meta announced it will ban all “political, social and issue” ads in the EU starting in October. This decision is a direct response to the new EU regulation on political advertising (TTPA), and it will have wide-reaching consequences for democratic communication online. 🧵

Highly recommend this piece on the impact of Meta pulling back on political advertising in the EU.

How (and why) to fix political ads in the EU Meta follows Google (and TikTok and Microsoft) and leaves the EU political advertising market. The damage will be significant.

Blimey. This has got very little pick up in the UK.

"Last Friday, Meta announced it would ban “Political, Social and Issue” ads in the EU, starting in October.

"This has likely been coming for a while, but is a huge decision and will have a large effect on the way European politics is done online"

The clearest signal is they don't want regulation anywhere else.

They've not said. But at no time during the process did it feel like a ban was the EU's true intention. On the EU political side, many seemed ambivalent about a regulation at all.

10/ A functioning democratic internet requires clear rules, transparency, and accountability. Removing political ads undermines all three. The EU’s political advertising regulation will need to be revised to support—rather than deter—responsible political advertising on major platforms.

9/ But the solution isn't to prohibit political ads, but to regulate them intelligently. The EU should work with platforms to develop enforceable standards on transparency and verification, and avoid creating incentives for disengagement.

8/ Meta’s stated rationale is legal uncertainty around new regulatory limitations on political ad targeting, especially concerning “special category data” under GDPR. Meta says this is why they've opted to withdraw from political advertising in the region.

7/ Importantly, the ban won’t eliminate political advertising entirely—it will merely push it outside verified and transparent systems. This increases the likelihood of rule-breaking, foreign influence, and disinformation campaigns going undetected.

6/ Governments across the EU currently use Meta ads to inform citizens about public services, health programmes, and policy initiatives. This ban removes a critical communication tool for reaching targeted populations in a cost-effective and timely way.

5/ Charities and NGOs will also be severely affected. Many rely on Meta platforms to fundraise for humanitarian efforts. In the absence of paid reach, their ability to find donors and supporters—especially in urgent situations such as in Gaza—will be significantly diminished.

4/ As a result, European online political discourse is likely to become more performative and extreme. Candidates and parties may turn to content strategies aimed at triggering algorithmic amplification, rather than communicating policy or engaging constructively.

3/ Without the ability to promote content via ads, political actors—particularly those without significant online followings—will struggle to reach voters. Those with pre-existing influence will gain further advantage, reinforcing unequal access to visibility.

2/ While some may welcome the move, assuming it will reduce misinformation or political manipulation, the reality is more complex. The ban will reduce transparency, limit political speech, and increase reliance on opaque algorithmic distribution.

1/ Last Friday, Meta announced it will ban all “political, social and issue” ads in the EU starting in October. This decision is a direct response to the new EU regulation on political advertising (TTPA), and it will have wide-reaching consequences for democratic communication online. 🧵

How (and why) to fix political ads in the EU Meta follows Google (and TikTok and Microsoft) and leaves the EU political advertising market. The damage will be significant.

A long(ish) piece on what follows from Meta's forthcoming political ad ban in the EU:
open.substack.com/pub/whotarge...

Ireland's 2024 General Election digital ad spending was dominated by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. The vote saw the two parties swap places as junior and senior coalition partners, with Fianna Fáil now the largest party.

2025 Finnish election ad spending on Meta.

Finland's municipal elections are unusual because there are so many seats (over 8,000) and parties, meaning an extraordinary number of candidates buying ads. We track over 4,500 Meta and Google political advertisers in Finland alone. More than 1,000 were active in 2025's campaign.

Belgium's 2024 Federal Election ad spending was dominated by Flemish parties, particularly the far-right Vlaams Belang (bright yellow). It's actually rare that far-right parties dominate digital ad spending in Europe, but Belgium is the exception, thanks in part to state funding of parties.

The 2025 Albanian election was won by Edi Rama's Partia Socialiste (purple). Despite being outspent on digital by the opposition Democratic Party, they were re-elected with an increased majority and got over 50% of the vote.