A Revolution in Political and Social Advertising

Currently banned activities: paid political and social ads on advertising networks (Google Ads, Meta Ads, X Ads, TikTok Ads) in the EU.

Allowed in promoting political and social content: organic content (posts, websites, newsletters), ads in traditional media (with labeling and documentation), selected informational campaigns by public institutions.

New advertiser obligations: labeling ads, reporting sponsor and costs, documentation for 7 years, registration in the EU repository.

Result: the end of paid political and social advertising → the necessity to shift strategies to organic, PR, and traditional media.

Google (Ads, YouTube, Display)

• From September 22, 2025 → total ban on political advertising in the EU - source.
• Exception: informational messages from public institutions / the EU.
• For NGOs and parties → no possibility of paid promotion (even within Google Ad Grants) - source.
• Political and social ads published before the ban will be available in the Ad Transparency Center.

Meta (Facebook, Instagram)

• Until October 6, 2025 → political/social ads possible after authorization and labeling - source.
• From October 6, 2025 → total ban on political and social ads in the EU.
• Social and political campaigns run until October 6 will be available in the Meta Ad Library.
• Only organic activities will be allowed.

X (formerly Twitter)

• Political ads in the EU were already banned (in effect since 2019) - źródło.
• No clear position on social ads → risk of classification as political.

TikTok

• A total ban on paid political ads has been in effect since July - source.
• Social ads only for certified institutions (governmental, intergovernmental) and only on specific topics (health, education, tourism, safety) - source.
• NGOs without certification → no possibility of paid promotion.
• TikTok provides a public repository of commercial ads, which does not include political ads.

Programmatic

• From October 10, 2025 → total ban on political and social ads in the programmatic model in the EU.
• The RTB model does not meet TTPA requirements (sponsor labeling, repository registration, 7-year archiving).
• No possibility to purchase political and social ads via DSPs and ad exchanges.

Online Publishers (Onet, WP, Interia)

• From October 10, 2025 → political and social ads possible only in a direct-buy model (purchased directly from the publisher, e.g., via the sales department of Onet, WP, Interia, Polityka, Gazeta.pl).
• The ad must include sponsor and cost labeling, has to be entered into the EU repository, and archived for 7 years.
• The publisher verifies the content and bears legal responsibility for publication.
• Some media outlets will only accept selected campaigns; others may block this ad category entirely due to fear of sanctions.

Traditional Media

• Political and social ads are allowed but must be clearly labeled and documented for 7 years.
• Ads must include information about the sponsor and broadcast costs.
• No obligation to enter them into the EU repository.
• Media outlets bear legal responsibility and are obligated to verify content before publication.
• Effect: a more conservative approach by media outlets to selling political and social ads.

1. Political Advertising (parties, candidates)

❌ You cannot: run paid campaigns on Google Ads, Meta, X, TikTok.

✅ You can: publish organic content (websites, social media, newsletters). use press, radio, TV, outdoor, and online publishers. conduct PR campaigns and grassroots activities in communities.

2. Social Advertising (NGOs, foundations, ministries, CSR)

❌ You cannot: pay to promote content that influences public debate or law (on Google, Meta; on TikTok for non-certified NGOs).

✅ You can: conduct organic activities on social media. use traditional media. certified institutions → limited social campaigns on TikTok.

1. Shift to organic content and community building -Your own profiles, websites, newsletters. -Content based on storytelling and relationships, not on paid boosting.

2. Invest in traditional media -Press, radio, TV, outdoor. -They require labeling and archiving but are legal and effective in building reach.

3. Build relationships with media and partners -PR, earned media, collaborations with editorial teams and creators (organically, not as advertising).

4. Wdroż compliance i archiwizację -Every campaign must be documented (sponsor, costs, targeting). -Procedures and systems compliant with the 7-year storage requirement.

5. Educate teams and clients -TTPA training for PR departments, agencies, and NGOs. -Preparation of alternative communication scenarios.

6. Segment your activities -Separate strictly political messaging (elections, laws) from neutral social content (health, education, culture), which may still be permissible in some channels.

• Source: Regulation (EU) 2024/900 (TTPA).
• Goal: To increase transparency, limit manipulation, and foreign interference in democratic processes.
• Requirements: Labeling, repository, documentation, targeting restrictions, ban on using sensitive data.
• Platforms (Google, Meta) found the regulations too complicated and risky → they withdrew political/social ads.
• The definition of political advertising is broad → it also covers NGOs and CSR.
• Compliance costs and the risk of sanctions mean it is easier to block entire ad categories than to filter them.

The changes brought by the TTPA amount to a complete reconstruction of the advertising ecosystem in the socio-political sphere, with far-reaching consequences for politics and beyond.