Researchers warn that Hungary’s ruling party, Fidesz, is bypassing Meta’s ban on political advertising in the EU by using indirect and hard‑to‑trace ads ahead of the 12 April 2026 elections. The ban, introduced after new EU transparency rules, has pushed political advertising “underground,” where monitoring and enforcement are significantly more difficult. Researchers describe how ads are often distributed via proxy organisations/pages linked to Fidesz and may be misclassified under non-political categories, making them harder to track.
The think tank Political Capital reported finding 457 political advertisements on Meta platforms in Jan–Feb, 456 linked to Fidesz-affiliated actors, with many only labeled as political retroactively after they had circulated. Studies suggest these illicit ads, including possible deepfakes, could influence election outcomes due to their wide reach and lack of transparency.
Date: April 8, 2026. Source: euronews.com