The French Model: Political Advertising and the Future of Democratic Integrity
July 25, 2025
By Aanu Akintola
In April 2024, France implemented new legislation aligning national law with the EU’s Regulation on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising, which comes into full effect in October 2025.
Rooted in GDPR principles, the regulation requires political ads to:
- Clearly state their sponsor
- Outline their targeting criteria
- Explain whether personal data was used.
The French data protection authority, CNIL, (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés) is tasked with enforcement, strengthening democratic transparency and limiting the misuse of personal information in campaigns.
On the other hand, countries like the UK and the United States lack equivalent safeguards. Reform UK’s growing social media presence has included endorsements from American companies, yet viewers are offered little to no information about their origin or intent. During the 2024 US elections, Kamala Harris leveraged data-driven targeting while Donald Trump received high-profile support from Elon Musk, both with minimal transparency.
Without protective laws, these practices risk undermining public trust. France’s model offers a warning and a blueprint for safeguarding elections globally.
