TikTok Election Ads Violate Company Policies and EU Code

Political advertisements for candidates in the upcoming local elections on the popular social media platform TikTok violate both the platform’s rules and the voluntary code of conduct on political advertising set by the European Union (EU).

Despite TikTok’s prohibition on political advertising, ads promoting candidates in the elections have been running on the platform, which boasts over two million users in Ireland.

According to EU guidelines, any social media platform that accepts political advertising must maintain a register of these ads, including information on the amount of money spent and the entities that funded them.

However, TikTok fails to comply with these requirements. Although these guidelines are set to become law next year, TikTok has already committed to following similar rules through a voluntary code.

Transparency campaigner Liz Carolan, who publishes The Briefing, a newsletter on technology and politics, uncovered the violation of TikTok’s rules and the EU’s recommendations.

She found multiple ads for candidates in the local elections through searches on the platform’s ad library.

TikTok claims to have long prohibited political advertising, including paid ads and creators being paid to produce branded political content.

However, the existence of these ads on the platform contradicts this statement.

Furthermore, TikTok’s failure to maintain a register of political ads, as required by the EU recommendations and the voluntary code, means that crucial information about the ads, such as the identity of the advertisers and the number of people who viewed them before their removal, remains undisclosed.

Ms. Carolan emphasized the significance of this issue, stating that “democracy depends on campaigning happening out in the open.” She stressed the importance of transparency, particularly regarding spending money to influence elections, which lies at the core of political advertisements.

In response to the violation, a representative for TikTok stated that the platform does not allow paid political advertising and has removed such content.

However, the lack of ad transparency raises concerns about the company’s policy adherence.