US tech giants will have to provide more data on their targeted political ads or risk fines of up to 4% of their global turnover under draft EU rules seen by Reuters, part of a crackdown on disinformation during elections.
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The measure is the latest move by the EU to rein in the power of Google's Alphabet unit, Facebook and other social media giants and force them to be more accountable and transparent in their political advertising.
“The (EU) internal market is currently not equipped to provide political advertising with a high level of transparency to ensure a fair and open democratic process in all Member States,” the 39-page draft said.
The document defines political advertising as the publication of a message by a political actor such as an individual or a European political party or alliance to influence the outcome of an election or referendum, a legislative or regulatory process, or electoral behavior.
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Each advertisement should include a statement stating that it is a political advertisement, the name of the sponsor, the aggregate amounts spent or other benefits received for the advertisement, and other details indicating the broader context of the advertisement and its objectives.
Politicians or others who advertise their campaigns on tech company websites should declare this to the companies.
The draft also proposes an implicit ban on certain opaque techniques because either companies can explain what they are doing or they cannot.
Organic content, such as politicians posting something on Twitter or Facebook without paying a fee, will be exempt from the rules.
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European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, who will present the draft rules on Thursday, said in a tweet last month that trying to influence elections cannot be a fight waged through dirty methods.
The Commission will need to sort out the details with EU lawmakers and EU countries before it can adopt the law in 2023.
Source of information: thehindu.com
