EU to limit political ads, ban use of certain personal info

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has drawn up plans to help people better understand when they are seeing political ads online and who is responsible for them. The proposals are aimed at ensuring fair and transparent polls or referendums. They would ban political targeting and methods used to reach a wider audience if they use sensitive personal data like ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation without permission. European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova says “people must know why they are seeing an ad, who paid for it, how much, what micro-targeting criteria were used.” The commission wants Thursday’s proposals to be adopted into law in the 27 EU member countries by 2023, in time for Europe-wide elections the following year.