Meta still hosts Irish political ads despite EU ban announced last year

In July 2025 Meta declared it would stop political, electoral and social-issue advertising across the EU, blaming complex legal requirements. Nevertheless, an audit by the Irish non-profit The Problem Solving Association identified 53 paid ads from Irish national and local politicians that were published on Meta platforms after the ban took effect. The ads included content from Independent TD Michael Lowry, Minister of State Alan Dillon and a brief appearance of Catherine Connolly’s presidential campaign, as well as posts from parties such as Sinn Féin, Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Social Democrats, Labour and Independent Ireland.

Meta eventually removed ads from 19 of the 24 pages involved, but only after the ads had already run, and the remaining ads were not flagged. TPSA’s spokesperson said the system designed to enforce the ban “doesn’t work consistently,” while Coimisiún na Meán stressed the need for clear labelling and user reporting under the EU Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising regulation.