Google’s EU Ad Data Purge: Why Transparency Advocates Are Sounding the Alarm

Google deleted 7 years of EU political ad data, impacting transparency. Meta still offers access to past ads.
The colorful Google logo displayed on the glass facade of the Googleplex building The colorful Google logo displayed on the glass facade of the Googleplex building
The iconic Google logo is prominently displayed on the modern glass facade of the Googleplex, the corporate headquarters of Google, in Mountain View, California. By Tada Images / Shutterstock.com.

Executive Summary

  • Google has removed seven years of political advertising history from its Ad Transparency Center for all 27 European Union countries, making a vast archive of data inaccessible.
  • This removal occurs just before the EU’s new Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) fully enters force on October 10, with Google citing operational challenges and legal uncertainties.
  • The disappearance of this historical data significantly impacts researchers and journalists who rely on such platforms for insights into political spending and messaging within the EU.
  • The Story So Far

  • Google’s removal of seven years of political advertising history from its EU Ad Transparency Center is a direct consequence of the bloc’s new Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA), which fully enters force on October 10. This regulation mandates strict transparency requirements and imposes limitations on ad targeting, which Google has cited as creating “significant new operational challenges and legal uncertainties,” leading to its prior decision to stop serving political ads in the EU from October 2025 and now, implicitly, prompting the removal of past data to avoid potential non-compliance with the broad new rules.
  • Why This Matters

  • Google’s removal of seven years of political advertising history across the EU severely curtails the ability of researchers and journalists to track political spending, messaging, and influence, creating a significant transparency void ahead of the bloc’s new TTPA regulation. This move highlights the “significant new operational challenges and legal uncertainties” platforms face with stringent digital advertising laws, especially as the EU’s own central ad data repository is not yet launched, leaving a critical gap in public oversight of digital political campaigning.
  • Who Thinks What?

  • Google removed seven years of political advertising history and plans to stop serving political ads in the EU, citing “significant new operational challenges and legal uncertainties” due to the broad definition of political advertising under the new TTPA regulation and a lack of finalized technical guidance.
  • Researchers and journalists, like Liz Carolan, expressed concern over the uncommunicated erasure of historical data, highlighting the “significant void” created for tracking political influence and transparency within the European Union.
  • The EU’s new Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) aims to mandate strict transparency requirements for political advertisements, including clear labeling, disclosure of funding sources, and limitations on the use of personal data for targeting, ultimately seeking to enhance transparency and accountability.
  • Google has removed seven years of political advertising history from its Ad Transparency Center for all 27 European Union countries, making a vast archive of data inaccessible ahead of the bloc’s new Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA). The change, spotted on September 28, impacts researchers and journalists who rely on such platforms for insights into political spending and messaging.

    The disappearance of data, which previously included details on targeting, expenditure, and associated candidates or parties since 2018, was first noted by Liz Carolan, publisher of the Irish technology and politics newsletter, The Briefing. Carolan expressed concern, stating that while a ban on future political ads was anticipated, the erasure of historical data was not communicated.

    Impact of EU Regulation

    The move comes as the EU’s TTPA is set to fully enter force on October 10. This regulation mandates strict transparency requirements for political advertisements, including clear labeling, disclosure of funding sources, links to specific electoral processes, and information on targeting techniques used. It also imposes limitations on the use of personal data for political ad targeting, requiring explicit consent and prohibiting profiling based on sensitive demographic categories.

    Google had previously announced new guidelines for political ads in EU countries in August 2025, stating that past ads would remain accessible in its Transparency Center, subject to retention policies. However, the current situation indicates a reversal of this assurance. In November 2024, Google had also declared its intention to stop serving political ads in the EU from October 2025, citing “significant new operational challenges and legal uncertainties” introduced by the TTPA.

    Industry Reactions and Data Access

    Annette Kroeber-Riel, Google’s Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe, highlighted the broad definition of political advertising under the TTPA and the difficulty in reliably identifying all relevant ads across 27 Member States. She also noted the lack of finalized technical guidance just months before the regulation’s implementation.

    Meta, another major platform, announced in July that it would also cease allowing “political, electoral and social issue ads” in the EU due to the TTPA’s requirements. However, Meta’s ad library still provides access to past political advertisements from the region, contrasting with Google’s recent action. The EU law itself stipulates the creation of an “online European repository” for ad data, but this central archive has not yet launched.

    While the TTPA does not explicitly require platforms to delete historical ad data, the broad scope and stringent requirements may have prompted Google to remove its archive. It is speculated that many older ads might not comply with the new regulations, and removing the entire EU archive could be a measure to avoid potential violations. Google has not responded to requests for comment on this decision.

    The removal of Google’s extensive archive of political advertising data creates a significant void for researchers and journalists tracking political influence and transparency within the European Union. This loss underscores the ongoing challenges in balancing regulatory compliance with public access to information in the rapidly evolving landscape of digital political campaigning.

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