CNIL Advises on Privacy in Targeted Political Ads
With targeted political advertising in Europe now governed by new rules that complement the GDPR, French watchdog CNIL published practical guides Tuesday to make sure that data processing done in the course of political communications is privacy-compliant.
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CNIL is in charge of ensuring that personal data used for political messaging is handled appropriately under EU Regulation 2024/900. The new rules cover the use of targeting techniques and dissemination of ads involving personal data in online political communications.
Recent European Commission guidelines specify the relevant actors and define political advertising, CNIL noted. Because those guidelines are awaiting finalization and French municipal elections are approaching, CNIL said it decided to publish practical information to guide political players and voters.
In addition to targeting techniques and dissemination of online political ads, the guidance covers the use of other political prospecting techniques. It lays out the rules for compiling contact files in the context of a primary election or membership files, as well as the conditions for using voter lists for political prospecting.
The guidance also addresses which databases can't be used for political communications, what precautions to take when using files from private companies, and the legal obligations and responsibilities of the various political actors. A summary table details the information that data controllers and publishers must make available to the public, according to the type of political advertising used, in accordance with the GDPR.
The information is a first step, CNIL said. It plans to post additional information and to launch an election observatory to ensure that the use of personal data in campaigns complies with the rules.