Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1442202
14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 JANUARY 2022 EUROPE These articles are part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Political ads must be more transparent, new proposal suggests THE European Parliament dis- cussed a new proposal on the transparency and targeting po- litical advertising on Monday. With its work led by the Inter- nal Market and Consumer Pro- tection Committee (IMCO), the proposal requires any political ad to be clearly labelled and in- clude information on who it was funded by. The new regulation aims to create a more secure environ- ment for consumers regarding the processing of personal data. If the proposal passes, it will be mandatory to publish clear in- formation on what basis a person is targeted and which dissemina- tion tools were used particularly on online platforms. Ana Gallego Torres, the Direc- tor-General of the Committee for Justice and Consumers who presented the proposal in com- mittee meeting, outlined that this complements the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the ex- isting General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The lack of transparency on political advertising is a widely unaddressed problem surround- ing electoral campaigns around the world, especially with online platforms gaining increasing im- portance on their processes and outcomes. The Cambridge Analytica scan- dal of 2018 brought this issue to the foreground. The scandal re- vealed that for years, Facebook was collecting users' personal data without their consent for the use of political advertising, breaching the privacy of over 50 million users. This also showed the contrast between online and offline campaigning methods pre-empting elections. The Commission had respond- ed in 2018 with non-binding measures, such as recommenda- tions to promote transparency, cybersecurity and awareness of disinformation and so on. How- ever, this was deemed to be not enough. Today, political advertising remains a threat to citizen's privacy as well as to democrat- ic processes. In March 2021, a Eurobarometer survey showed that nearly four in ten Europe- ans were exposed to content that they could not easily discern as a political advertisement. "The current framework af- fects individuals access to a plu- rality of views, fragments the democratic debate and increas- es the risk of manipulation," Torres said. "Citizens are being obstructed from fully exercising their democratic rights and na- tional authorities from monitor- ing the correct application of the rules." The proposal now being worked on by IMCO marks the first time the Commission is proposing to legislate on polit- ical advertising online. Current regulation of political advertise- ment is focused on traditional media, like television and news- papers. That means that loop- holes exist for advertisers on various other online platforms. These new rules would apply to actors outside the traditional political sphere, including influ- encers, NGOs and foundations. The proposal bans targeting and amplification of political ads using sensitive personal data as defined by GPDR, but with two exceptions. The providers of political- ly-targeted ads would be able to use information about user's personal data such as ethnic or- igin, political opinions, religious beliefs or trade union member- ship firstly, if the individual has given explicit consent or second- ly, if the user has regular contact with a foundation, association or other non-profits bodies. The proposed regulation would not limit freedom of expression, Torres added, as content of po- litical ads is not addressed in this case, "but will support account- ability of the different actors in- volved." Alexandra Greese (DE), repre- senting the Greens/EFA Group, argued that the proposal falls short by not completely banning targeted ads, referring to the ex- ceptions outlined by Torres. She explained how micro-target- ing vulnerable groups spreads misinformation and can create mobilisation towards a political goal. "Aren't you afraid that with these exceptions you encourage extremist and conspiratorial or- ganisations, giving them more impact and weight especially on the online debate?" she asked. MEP Maria Manuel Leitão Marques (PT) from the S&D Group was also disappointed with the lack of ambition of the proposal: "It will not fundamen- tally solve the current problems related to electoral manipulation of information. My question is why not aim for more – like bans or increased limitations to micro-targeting and track- ing-based ads?" Yet on a general note, many MEPs also agreed with the pro- posal. For the EPP Group, repre- sented by Pablo Arias Eschever- ria (ES) stated; "Citizens have to know what use is being made of their data and they have to have the option to consent or other- wise. We set a global example for transparency and democra- cy, and I believe this is one more step in that direction." The IMCO committee, with rapporteur Sandro Gozi (FR, Re- new), will formulate its position on the proposal before entering negotiations with the Council to reach a final agreement. Gozi writes in a recent Tweet: "Who forgot the Cambridge Analyt- ica scandal? To protect our de- mocracies, the EU will set up transparency rules for political promotion activities, especially online."