The 2016 US presidential election marked a turning point in the debate around political advertising. It was then that it became painfully clear how easily advertising systems – in this case Facebook – could be used by third parties to influence elections. Disinformation spread by Russian latest database products and the use of illegally obtained data by Cambridge Analytica led to great concern and debate.
These revelations led to stricter regulations in Europe, such as a ban on political advertising from third countries. However, enforcement remains a major challenge.
Lack of transparency
In addition, one of the major problems remains the lack of transparency:
For what purpose?
What interests are at play in the background?
For voters, these are often questions without clear answers. The EU has recently email privacy and gdpr compliance steps with new rules that require labeling of political ads and tracking of advertiser data. But whether this is enough to ensure full transparency remains to be seen.
The debate about possible solutions rages on and new regulations are piling up. This legislation, intended to prevent manipulation and protect digital democracy, translates into strict restrictions and more and more restrictions on advertising platforms. But how do they lack data in practice? And what should you take into account when you, as a campaign manager, start turning the knobs of the campaigns?
Before I answer those questions, let’s first dive into the laws and regulations that shape the landscape of political advertising. Because only with insight into the frameworks can you operate effectively and responsibly as an advertiser.