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Regulation on political advertising  

There is an EU regulation concerning transparency and targeting in political advertising. The Swedish Agency for the Media is the competent supervisory authority for compliance with most of the regulation. The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) is the supervisory authority for the provisions regarding targeted political advertising online.

Read more on The Swedish Agency for the Media’s website

More information about the new rules is available on The Swedish Agency for the Media’s website. 

Transparency and targeting of political advertising – TTPA, in Swedish (Mediemyndigheten) 

The purpose of the political advertising regulation is to provide better conditions for recognizing political advertising and to be able to take a position on the message in the advertisement. The regulation also aims to ensure that political advertising respects the right to the protection of personal data.

Among other things, the regulation requires that political advertisements must include certain information through labelling and a transparency notice.

Rules on targeted political advertising online – IMY’s supervisory responsibility  

The regulation imposes specific requirements on targeting techniques and ad delivery techniques that involve the processing of personal data in connection with political online advertising, see Articles 18–19 of the regulation. IMY is the competent supervisory authority for compliance with these articles. For example, it is required that the data controller has collected the personal data directly from the data subject and that the data subject has consented to targeted political online advertising.

Targeting and ad delivery techniques may not be used for profiling based on sensitive personal data, such as information about a person’s political opinions or religious beliefs. It is also prohibited to use targeting and ad delivery techniques to process personal data for individuals under the age of 17.

Political advertising and GDPR  

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies where relevant, including in monitoring compliance with the provisions set out in its articles. The GDPR also applies if personal data is processed when messages with political content are shared, regardless of whether the political advertising regulation applies.

IMY provides guidance on targeted political online advertising

IMY has developed guidance to help political parties and others involved in political advertising comply with online political advertising rules when personal data is used for distribution.

Guidance on targeted online political advertising (in Swedish)  

Submit a complaint to IMY  

Individuals can submit complaints to IMY regarding targeted political advertising online and potential violations of Articles 18–19 of the regulation. For violations of other articles in the regulation, The Swedish Agency for the Media is the responsible authority.

Political parties, campaign organisations, companies and others that share political messages are examples of actors who may be covered by the rules in the regulation. The specific rules for which IMY is the supervisory authority apply to data controllers.

The rules apply to political advertising that is within the EU, published in one or more Member States, or targeted at Union citizens. This applies regardless of where the provider of political advertising services is established or where the sponsor is resident or established. A sponsor is the natural or legal person at whose request, or on whose behalf, a political advertisement is prepared, placed, promoted, published, provided or disseminated.

The rules apply both during and outside election periods and also cover non-election-related political messages. The regulation does not regulate the content of political advertising.

The term refers to certain types of activities regardless of the method used to deliver a message that is normally provided for a fee, through internal operations, or as part of a political advertising campaign. These activities include the preparation, placement, promotion, publication, provision or dissemination of the message.

For an activity to qualify as political advertising, it must:

  • be carried out by, for or on behalf of a political actor;
  • be capable of influencing and be designed to influence the outcome of an election, referendum, voting behaviour or a legislative or regulatory process.

Activities relating to messages of a purely private or purely commercial nature fall outside the scope of the definition.

The regulation applies to political advertising in all forms, but the specific rules overseen by IMY apply only to targeted online political advertising.

The Swedish Agency for the Media is the competent supervisory authority for compliance with the regulation.

IMY is the competent authority only in relation to targeting and ad delivery technologies that involve the processing of personal data in connection with online political advertising. This means, among other things, that IMY is not the competent authority for the rules that apply to political advertising regardless of the method used.

Political advertising regulation on The Swedish Agency for the Media's website  

 

About the information on this page

If the information in English is different from the Swedish version of this page, the Swedish version applies.

Latest update: 5 May 2026
Page labels Data protection, Om IMY