Articles for tag: Political Advertising

Secret Campaigns and Masked Messages

Every election season in India reignites a familiar concern: the pervasive influence of financial resources on the democratic process. While the Election Commission of India, in conjunction with the judiciary and various state apparatuses, consistently underscores the link between monetary power and electoral outcomes, a significant loophole persists. This blogpost examines that loophole: the unchecked power of surrogate advertising on social media platforms and uncovers the systemic failures that enable political parties to exploit these gaps, perpetuating financial inequalities in the democratic process.

26. Juni 2024

Regulating Political Advertising

The issue of financing political campaigns has been a topic of discussion for a while, especially against the background of the ongoing deliberations within the EU surrounding the adoption of the draft Political Advertisement Act (PAA). The recently concluded Polish parliamentary campaign and the assistance offered by State Owned Companies, along with the weak level of oversight on these actions, have highlighted certain shortcomings in the proposed framework that remain unaddressed in the current EU draft legislation. In particular, I argue that the PAA does not adequately regulate the methods and extent of financing for political campaigns such as microtargeting and mistakenly assumes the independence of regulatory bodies tasked with enforcing its requirements. An independent institutional system warranted by the European Commission to enforce the proposed rules is pivotal for PAA to achieve its goals.

31. Oktober 2023

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Political Advertising and Disinformation

Over a year ago, the European Commission presented its Proposal for a Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising (COM(2021) 731 final). Recently, the Council presented its General Approach, followed by the position of the European Parliament (EP). While stakeholders are waiting for the trilogue negotiations to shape the final text of the legislation, critical voices are raising concerns. Concerns are that under the future regulation online platforms might have to de-amplify such independent content

23. März 2023

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Politische Werbung und Desinformation

Zum Verordnungs-Entwurf der Europäischen Kommission über die Transparenz und das Targeting politischer Werbung (COM(2021) 731 final) liegt inzwischen die Gemeinsame Ausrichtung des Rats der Europäischen Union als auch die gemeinsame Position des Europäischen Parlaments vor. Nun beginnen die abschließenden Trilog-Verhandlungen. Dem VO-Entwurf geht es um die Eindämmung von Gefahren durch politische Online-Desinformationskampagnen. Aufhorchen lassen Stimmen aus der Zivilgesellschaft, die eine zu weitgehende Erfassung auch privater oder unabhängiger politischer Meinungskundgabe fürchten.

13. März 2023

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