The democracy paradox: Why no political ads may empower illiberals

By&nbspZoltán Kész, erstwhile MP from Hungary, now editor EU Tech Loop

Published on 13/09/2025 - 7:01 GMT+2

The EU's caller political advertizing regulations, which travel into unit successful October 2025, resulted successful Meta and Google platforms choosing to discontinue governmental and societal advertizing passim Europe. 

Although nan EU’s Regulation connected nan Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) was designed to guarantee a fairer and much transparent media and advertizing environment, it whitethorn springiness an unexpected advantage to illiberal regimes that power accepted media, authorities resources, and organisations disguised arsenic civilian nine groups.

The Hungarian example

For example, successful Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, exercises important power complete nan location press, reinforces its ain narratives done governmental networks disguised arsenic civilian nine organisations, and has an extended media empire. 

The upcoming absence of paid online advertizing is not a disadvantage but alternatively an opportunity for nan Fidesz party: it restricts 1 of nan opposition’s main avenues of action while allowing nan government’s narratives to dispersed unchecked, amplify their messaging, and, done proxies, predominate societal media platforms.

The upcoming 2026 Hungarian elections could beryllium a terrible trial of this dilemma. While nan paid governmental advertizing discontinuation theoretically applies to each governmental actors, it puts nan guidance (which relies connected independent societal media platforms much than anyone else) successful a much difficult position.

Fidesz will mobilise its organisations disguised arsenic civilian nine groups pinch an integrated pursuing and its extended web of newspapers, which whitethorn find loopholes to evade nan ban. These channels tin easy power nationalist sentiment successful agrarian areas, spreading contented disguised arsenic integrated connected societal media and continuously reinforcing nan government's narrative.

Unintended consequences

In conclusion, paid governmental advertizing changes successful nan EU tin create conditions successful which governmental title becomes distorted alternatively than balanced, giving authoritarian regimes a blank cheque to fortify their narratives further.

This article primitively appeared successful EU Tech Loop and has been published connected Euronews arsenic portion of an agreement.