What should the future of online political advertising in the EU look like?
The digital revolution and the overall digitalisation of political campaigning have rapidly transformed democratic political processes. Online political advertising has not only opened up new possibilities for democratic dialogue and creative engagement, but it has also become a relatively cheap and easy way of amplifying information manipulation too. As new vulnerabilities have emerged with the rise of online political advertising, the European Commission’s aim to tackle them and limit their impact on the quality of democracy should be recognised.
Alliance for Healthy Infosphere composed of 11 think tanks, civil society initiatives, academic bodies and private companies across 7 EU member states welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to introduce new legislation on political advertising by the end of 2021.
A few principles, however, must be underlined to build a coherent, efficient and fair regulatory framework in advertising:
- Clear definitions and updated regulation
- Limits on the sponsors
- Banning of disinformation
- Enhanced transparency in labelling and reporting
- Strict control of targeting and inauthentic behaviour
Read the Alliance’s position paper below to find out more.