EFA responds to Meta’s muzzling of European civil society

On 25 July, Meta announced its intention to ban all advertising relating to political, electoral or social issues within the European Union from October 2025. The details provided in an official Meta document published on 26 September will lead to the removal of almost all civil society publications from its platforms. The European Fundraising Association is concerned about the major risks to freedom of expression and information and the significant impact this decision will have on the capacity and finances of European civil society organisations.

Censorship solely at the discretion of Meta

As part of the European Action Plan for Democracy and in addition to the rules laid down by the Digital Services Act (DSA) on online advertising, the European Commission has set new rules on transparency in political advertising, electoral rights and party financing through the Transparency & Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) Regulation, which comes into force on 10 October 2025. The authors of the regulation did not at any point specifically target civil society publications, nor appeals for donations, advocacy campaigns and petitions, which do not fall within the scope of the regulation.

Meta’s decision to remove all ads on political and social issues is based on a broad and personal interpretation of the European TTPA regulation. This interpretation is not shared by all platforms. In its guide published on 26 September 2025, Meta clarifies its definition of ‘political and social issues’. For example, all communications on social rights, including the fight against discrimination, the fight for women’s or minority rights, the fight against climate change and the health of Europeans, will be banned from Facebook, Instagram and Meta’s other networks. Only purely informative wording might escape the group’s censorship.

This decision is incomprehensible, given that according to the text of the Regulation, the political nature of content is determined by its issuer, not by the advertising service provider.

A major impact on European civil society

It is essential for civil society organisations (CSOs) to maintain open communication with the public as one of the most important means available for effectively sharing public information and attracting members, volunteers and donors. In this regard, social media platforms are key intermediaries for CSOs.

According to EUROSTAT[1], 59% of Europeans used social media in 2023. Facebook, with over 459 million users, is the most popular social network in Europe, closely followed by Instagram, with over 311 million users.

In France, Facebook is still the leading European social network for CSOs, with 70% of the French population present on the platform and 24.5% of them subscribing to association accounts. In Sweden, 73% of nonprofit organisations responding to a Giva Sverige member survey believe that this decision will have a negative impact on their awareness-raising, advocacy, communication and fundraising activities.

At a time when CSOs are bearing the brunt of the global economic recession, increased needs among beneficiaries and sharp cuts in certain budgets, particularly international aid, this news on the eve of the end-of-year campaigns that represents a fair share of their earnings is brutal for the sector.

Preserving the digital public space

EFA and its members fully support the objectives of the TTPA regulation. Safeguarding the integrity of elections and open public debate is fundamental to democratic societies, and CSOs play a vital role in ensuring pluralism and resilience.

EFA therefore strongly condemns Meta’s attempt to use a transparency law to muzzle the nonprofit sector. As such, EFA calls on Meta to review its interpretation of the TTPA regulation, and calls on other platforms to provide proportionate support for the preservation of the integrity of elections and public debates, and the protection of freedom of expression and information.

The EU Commission is currently preparing guidelines on how the regulation should be enforced, which may provide some opportunities for nonprofits, however, there will be no obligation on platforms to implement them.

EFA calls on the Commission to publish these guidelines as soon as possible, and to bring together all stakeholders to ensure a shared interpretation of the regulation that respects everyone’s rights and complies with the principles of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (in particular Article 11: freedom of expression and information).

Eduard Marček, EFA Executive Director says: “Meta’s ban will have a major impact on the way the nonprofit community can communicate and fundraise with its audiences that cannot be overlooked. We will maintain open conversation with the EU Commission and Meta on this issue.”

Main image: Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash