Polish Elections and the Rising Tide of Social Media

Have you ever wondered how Facebook tracks and reports on unsponsored political content? Well, they don’t. Despite requirements for social platforms to report political ads, a great deal of political messaging is not tracked on Facebook Ad Library databases. New research from the Political Accountability Foundation (PAF) examines social media microtargeting strategies employed by parties and other organisations trying to influence Polish voters, and by extension, the future of the country’s politics.

Opaque Influence: Difficulties with Tracking Politics on Facebook

The influence of online news platforms and social media in shaping political discourse has grown significantly in recent years. Yet, as social media has gained increasing sway in the fate of European elections, political messaging has become largely decentralised and much harder for researchers to track. Influencers frequently discuss political issues independently, without official sponsorship or party endorsement, and their activity is invisible to tools like the political section of Facebook's Ad Library. This raises questions about transparency in an era where informal commentary, seemingly without political affiliation, has plenty of weight to throw behind political causes.

The Political Accountability Foundation discovered through their research that over 65% of political ad spending on Facebook came from just four political parties or groups, two of which made up most of the spending on Google. While this doesn’t account for the aforementioned unreported political content, it demonstrates that large, institutional players still have a major influence over what voters see on social media.

Regulatory Gaps: Catching up with EU Requirements

Regulating this rapidly evolving landscape has proven challenging. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) primarily functions interpretively, which limits its ability to enforce compliance with advertising standards. Moreover, Poland’s regulatory framework lags behind the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising Act (TTPA). For instance, requirements to clearly label the sponsoring electoral committee are frequently ignored, undermining trust and transparency.

Building a Stronger Democracy: Social Media Guidelines for Campaigns

In order to address regulatory gaps in online political advertising, the Political Accountability Foundation recommends that platforms like Facebook and Google tailor their verification processes to align with national laws, ensuring transparency and compliance. Google should also clearly label political ads and enable user reporting of non-compliant content. Finally, the Polish government should strengthen legislation to align with EU standards like the TTPA and DSA, integrating these with existing transparency mechanisms and educating advertisers on compliance requirements. These proposals would be a critical first step in ensuring that future elections remain fair and that voters have all the information necessary to participate in their democracy more effectively.