Disclaimer: We may earn a commission if you make any purchase by clicking our links. Please see our detailed guide here.

Follow us on:

Google Says EU Law on Political Ads Must Not Undermine Transparency

IANS
IANS
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Join the Opinion Leaders Network

Join the Techgenyz Opinion Leaders Network today and become part of a vibrant community of change-makers. Together, we can create a brighter future by shaping opinions, driving conversations, and transforming ideas into reality.

Welcoming the European Union’s (EU) proposals to curb the misuse of political advertising to undermine elections, Google has said that it is critical that the upcoming law clarifies which actors and what types of content are subject to the obligations regarding political advertising, giving clear examples of what would or would not be in scope.

The EU proposals, laid out late on Thursday, would also ban political targeting and AI/ML techniques used to reach more and more people.

Political parties, organizations, and companies would face fines if they failed to comply.

Matt Brittin, President of Google Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said in a blog post that this is a complex field, requiring a balance between minimizing misinformation and protecting legitimate political expression.

“Without clear definitions, different companies will adopt inconsistent and conflicting policies, making for confusion for advertisers and undermining transparency for citizens,” he argued.

“The current text could also inadvertently impact a wider range of ads than intended, for example, sweeping in ads from NGOs on issues of public concern or from private citizens speaking out about social questions,” Brittin added.

Google was one of the original signatories of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation.

According to European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, people must know why they are seeing an ad, who paid for it, how much, and what micro-targeting criteria were used.

“New technologies should be tools for emancipation, not for manipulation,” she said in a statement.

The tech giant said that advertiser “self-declaration” — whereby political advertisers verify their identities and declare when they are running political ads — would have advertisers due to their share to contribute to transparency, making the law work better in practice.

“Continuing discussions with stakeholders will help regulation react to changing contexts or emerging trends that might affect definitions, regulatory provisions or enforcement,” Google said.

Partner With Us

Digital advertising offers a way for your business to reach out and make much-needed connections with your audience in a meaningful way. Advertising on Techgenyz will help you build brand awareness, increase website traffic, generate qualified leads, and grow your business.

Join 10,000+ Fellow Readers

Get Techgenyz’s roundup delivered to your inbox curated with the most important for you that keeps you updated about the future tech, mobile, space, gaming, business and more.

Recomended

Find Apps

The Ultimate Hub for Discovering Apps Unlock a world of apps: your ultimate hub for exploring and discovering limitless possibilities for on your every needs.

Power Your Business

Solutions you need to super charge your business and drive growth

More from this topic